Pan-Africa Counter-Corruption Assembly Concludes with Firm Commitments to Deepen Collaboration between Countries and Networks of Counter-Corruption Agencies across Africa

Agreement has been reached to deepen relationships, improve collaboration, and build stronger networks across Africa to tackle the scourge of corruption by Ministers, law officers, heads of counter-corruption agencies, and counter-corruption experts from nations across Africa, as well as delegates from IGOs, MDBs, and the private sector.

This is the successful outcome of the Pan-Africa Counter-Corruption Assembly (PACCA) which convened at the Stellenbosch Institute for Advanced Study on the 2nd and 3rd November. Around half of African nations were represented at the PACCA in South Africa

Corruption impacts economic growth, social and educational development and in the worst cases leads to rising crime and human rights abuses.

AFCOE founding patrons Hon Ronald Lamola MP, Minister of Justice and Correctional Services of South Africa, and Professor Thuli Madonsela, Law Faculty Trust Chair in Social Justice (SU) and former Public Protector of South Africa (2009-2016) gave keynote addresses to the assembled attendees at the opening of the PACCA.

Included in the successful two-day Assembly were debates and discussions on the following critical subjects:

CORRUPTION – THE BLIGHT OF AFRICA: The cost and effect on Africa of corruption

CURRENT INTERNATIONAL MATRIX FOR TACKLING CORRUPTION: The trials and tribulations of fighting corruption in Africa

STRATEGIES TO TACKLE CORRUPTION IN AFRICA: Capacity building, the concept of the International Anti-Corruption Court and investigative and prosecutorial collaboration

THE ROLE OF THE PRIVATE SECTOR: Defeating corruption in Africa and financing counter-corruption initiatives

THE AFRICAN CENTRE OF EXCELLENCE IN INTEGRITY (‘The AFCOE’)

POLICY CONSOLIDATION AND AGREEMENT:

Africa Counter Corruption Framework (Need, Structure, Development etc);

National Conversations (Objectives);

Funding of the AFCOE;

The PACCA Declaration leading to the annual Africa Counter-Corruption Dialogue (‘the Davos of Countering Corruption”).

Professor Lee Marler, a Co-Founder of the AFCOE and a Director of Pavocat – leading advocates in the global fight against corruption – said, “The successful outcome of the Pan-Africa Counter-Corruption Assembly is a significant step forward in the fight against corruption in Africa.”

Continuing, Prof. Lee Marler said, “Representatives of the African nations present have agreed to improve collaboration, strengthen their networks, and deepen relationships between counter-corruption agencies to step up the fight against corruption in Africa which blights economic growth, social development, and educational attainment across the continent.”

This next step in the fight against corruption is to establish the Africa Counter-Corruption Dialogue which will be developed collaboratively by the Africa Regional Centre of Excellence and African nations and provide a framework that individual nations can download into their legal frameworks to tackle corruption at home.

Speaking at the close of the Pan-Africa Counter-Corruption Assembly, Professor Lee Marler, Co-Founder and Director at the Africa Regional Centre of Excellence said, “We concluded our two-day Pan-African Counter-Corruption Assembly today with firm commitments to deepen collaboration between countries and networks of counter-corruption agencies on the continent. I was humbled by the tokens of friendship presented by the Mali delegation, including the Ambassador to South Africa and the President of the Central Office to Combat Illicit Enrichment.”