Every year 25 percent of Africa’s GDP is lost to corruption, amounting to US $148 billion (US €110 billion), according to World Bank estimates. Total global official aid flows in 2007 amounted to US $104 billion (€72 billion).

Seeing the fight against corruption as a pre-condition to achieving greater aid effectiveness and reaching the goals of the Paris Declaration, TI advocates for improving access to and the disclosure of public information; cleaning up public procurement and sanctioning violators; strengthening institutions of oversight and engaging civil society; and harmonising donor activity to prevent abuse.

“The persistent levels of poverty and corruption across the globe amount to an ongoing humanitarian catastrophe,” said Cobus de Swardt, Managing Director of TI. “We need to see greater local ownership of aid programmes, a clear voice for civil society in the process and an end to purely donor-driven aid policies.”

Although few concrete, time-bound commitments on fighting corruption came out of the forum, civil society and donor initiatives on greater aid transparency gave cause for hope.

"The big step forward at the Accra Forum was the focus on transparency both in the run-up and during conference deliberations," said Craig Fagan, a Senior Policy Coordinator for TI. "Unfortunately, though, this did not translate into the firm, specific and time-bound commitments on accountability, transparency and fighting corruption, needed to make aid more effective."

More detail on TI’s recommendations to the Accra High-Level Forum is available in a one-page concept note on aid effectiveness and in an online special on TI’s website here.