#DIYAFRICA: African anti-corruption Initiatives — Fighting the scourge, one step at a time
The effects of corruption can be seen in many spheres of life on the African continent and when unchecked, may lead to poor quality of life and even death for those affected
Chad:
“Corruption undermines democracy and the rule of law, leads to human rights violations, distorts markets, undermines the quality of life and creates a breeding ground for organised crime, terrorism and other phenomena that threaten humanity,” said Saham Jacques, national coordinator of the Organisation Tchadienne Anti-Corruption (OTAC).
OTAC is an anti-corruption organisation based in Chad that aims to promote the transparency of the management of public affairs in the country. The organisation has a toll-free number that allows people to report corrupt activities, these activities are investigated, and a report is filed to the General State Inspectorate which is a state anti-corruption body. The organisation uses infographics to create awareness of corruption. Jacques said, “corruption is a danger to the development of a country and undermines national cohesion” and that the infographics sensitise and challenge citizens by making them aware of corruption.
Togo:
An organisation in Togo, Veille Citoyenne monitors public policies. The organisation which was created in September 2019 aims to “strengthen the capacities of Togolese citizens through knowledge sharing, training and influence so that they are responsive, collaborative, representative and resilient in order to ensure transparency and hold public authorities accountable,” said Pidenam Sama, the president of Veille Citoyenne Togo.
The organisation uses Facebook and WhatsApp, to publish information on the administrative procedures of the government. Veille Citoyenne promotes the transparency of the budgetary process of the national and local governments by using Facebook to share information on the procedures. The organisation also monitors the transparency of public contracts and delegations of public services and monitors the spending of public funds.
“In Togo, 70% of Togolese use WhatsApp and 20% use Facebook. We created a WhatsApp platform to allow people to report on corruption and we share information of administrative procedures,” said Sama. The group has a WhatsApp, which allows people to report on corrupt activities.
Sama said that they also use Facebook and WhatsApp for information on administrative procedures in public institutions such as obtaining an identity card, driver’s license or passport. “With the knowledge of procedures and access prices, citizens will no longer be in the dark when a public official asks for a bribe, and they will be able and encouraged to denounce services where public officials try to ask them for bribes,” said Sama.
Tunisia:
iWatch was established in 2011 after the Tunisian revolution and the objective of the organisation is to fight corruption and promote stability and transparency. iWatch has two programmes to promote transparency: technical which is to implement policies and provide support to other civil society organisations and legal which is investigating corruption and helping whistle-blowers. The organisation also has a website that allows people to report corrupt activities, this website allows for people to be anonymous and the case is investigated by iWatch.
“Whistle-blowers are not protected in Tunisia so they don’t choose to go public,” Mahdi Dahech, Accountability Program Manager at iWatch. The organisation has successfully taken notable businessmen to court and former Tunisian prime minister, Youssef Chahed was implicated in corruption. Dahech said that the organisation holds people accountable, for example, iWatch has created a tool, which holds politicians running for elections accountable by tracking the promises made by the prime minister during the elections. iWatch also conducts training with over 300 local administrations, the objective of these trainings is to stream up access to information and social accountability.
Sierra Leone:
“Corruption is a global issue and in Africa it has contributed to the underdevelopment of the continent,” said Tamba Mondeh, national coordinator for the Pay No Bribe Animators in Sierra Leone. The organisation was created in response to the corruption in the country. Mondeh said people are forced to pay bribes to people in different sectors such as motorcar drivers who are forced to pay police officers and health care workers that require expectant mothers to pay bribes.
Mondeh said that the war in the country was the result of corruption, which highlights the damaging impacts of corruption. In March 1991, the Revolutionary United Front (RUF), a small band of guerrilla rebels overthrew the government but even after the war ended, the impact of the war is still felt in the country, Mondeh said. The organisation monitors service delivery, health care, police departments and any other sector which are corrupt and makes citizens aware of their rights.
The organisation has a community accountability programme, where the organisations have discussions with stakeholders from the government and ask about service delivery and any other services they provide to the community. These discussions allow the organisation to get information which is then communicated to the public to make the public aware of the government’s policies and responsibilities.
The other approach to ensure transparency is data collection in the health, education and police sectors. The organisation gives questionnaires to community members to ask them about their experiences within these sectors and to report on corrupt activities. Mondeh said that this ensures that these policies are being implemented by the government. The organisation has a free-toll line and a platform on WhatsApp which allows people to report on corrupt activities.
The continuation of corruption and the lack of justice against perpetrators on the continent has influenced activists to take action. Anti-corruption organisations in Africa are creating transparency and promoting accountability through the different programmes that the organisations run. Each organisation said that they think their organisation have had a positive impact and will continue to have an impact, by furthering reporting and investigating corruption.
