Meanwhile, the development challenges faced by sub-Saharan Africa are enormous: It is the only region of the world where poverty has increased in the past 25 years and half of the continent’s population of 840 million people lives on less than 1 USD per day. Thirty-two of the world’s 38 highly indebted poor countries (HIPC) are in Africa. In addition to corruption, protracted armed conflict, the HIV/AIDS pandemic and declining terms of trade for non-mineral primary products continue to exacerbate the many challenges facing the region.

Despite recent progress in democracy and human rights in a number of African countries, corruption remains one of the biggest challenges throughout the continent. Enormous natural resources in a number of countries have proven too tempting to some elites and international business concerns. Aid resources provided by multilateral and bilateral agencies have not been immune to corruption and misuse. Public services are unevenly provided and of poor quality, and civil servants are often so badly paid that they resort to petty corruption in order to survive. The institutions that are intended to provide checks and balances within the system are generally under-resourced and lack independence.

The prospects for systematic reforms which could counter corruption vary considerably among African countries. Unfortunately, in most of the region, governments are either unwilling or unable to address corruption effectively, and progress is slow even in those countries where the political will to reform exists. In addition, the level of development and organization of civil society also varies considerably. Notwithstanding, civil society throughout the region is increasingly becoming active and outspoken concerning governance issues and corruption. Media in many African countries are independent and critical, and corruption is now publicly debated.

With increased room for civil society to manoeuvreand greater freedom for the media, TI chapters in the region have become an integral pillar of national integrity in their respective countries by demanding greater accountability from government and advocating reforms in the areas of governance and the management of public resources.

A searchable data base of all published U4 Anti-Corruption Helpdesk Expert Answers about Sub-Saharan Africa and specific countries is available here.