Diplomatist Magazine Africa Day Special 2018 | Page 25

ANNIVERSARY SPECIAL
WINNING THE
FIGHT AGAINST
CORRUPTION
T
he theme of the year 2018, 'Winning the
Fight Against Corruption: A Sustainable
Path to Africa’s Transformation', was
offi cially launched by H.E Mr. Muhammadu
Buhari, President of the Federal Republic
of Nigeria on 28th January 2018, during the
opening ceremony o of the 30th Assembly of
Heads of State and Go
Government of the African
Union (AU) held at the AU headquarters in
Addis Ababa, Ethiop
Ethiopia.
President Buhari c congratulated the African
Union for dedicating
ded
the theme of
the year t to the noble cause of
fighting
fightin corruption on our
Continent.
Con
He thanked the
African
A
Heads of State for
entrusting him with the
responsibility of serving
as the Champion of the
theme of the year. He
pledged that he will do
his very best to ensure
that the anti-corruption
agenda
will receive the
a
attention
it deserves and
att
make the impact all hope for,
during 2018 and beyond.
Corruption is an endemic problem
affecting people’s daily lives. From poor
infrastructure, unequal access to healthcare
and medicine, crime, and violence, to
political choices distorted by money and
greed, corruption continues to serve as a
deterrent towards Africa’s development.
A lot has been done over the last few
years since the adoption of the African
Union Convention on Preventing and
Combating Corruption (AUCPCC) in 2003.
Governments and non-state actors have
been instrumental in raising awareness
about the devastating effects of corruption
on governance, service delivery, human
rights and socio-economic development.
Additionally, numerous campaigns have
been organised to influence national,
regional, continental and global agendas that
seek to demand systemic change. Despite
the strides that have been made towards
combating the culture of corruption, this
problem still continues to erode people’s
sense of equity and is reflected by the
citizen’s general sense of despair, given the
failure of governments to effectively address
corruption from its roots. 
2018 • Africa Day Special • 21