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Implementing and Enforcing the African Union Convention on Preventing and Combating Corruption: a Comparative Review

Corruption in African countries is hindering economic, political and social development. It is a major barrier to economic growth, good governance and basic freedoms, such as freedom of speech and the right of citizens to hold governments to account.

In 2003, the African Union (AU) adopted the African Union Convention on Preventing and Combatting Corruption (AUCPCC), a shared roadmap for states to implement governance and anti-corruption policies and systems on a national and regional level. To date, 44 of the 55 AU member states have ratified the convention. However, there is little information on how well the convention is implemented in practice.

To address this gap, this report assesses the state of implementation of the AUCPCC in 10 countries: Côte d’Ivoire, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Ethiopia, Ghana, Morocco, Mozambique, Nigeria, Rwanda, South Africa and Tunisia. It focuses on four key areas of the convention: money laundering, illicit enrichment, political party funding and civil society and media. These areas are crucial to developing strong anti-corruption frameworks and preventing the loss of vast sums to corruption.

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