Corruption body hails Tanzania’s resolve against graft

Edward Qorro in ArushaTANZANIA: The African Union Advisory Board Against Corruption (AUABC) has commended country’s resolve in fighting graft.

The autonomous organ established within the African Union (AU) singled out setting up anti-corruption clubs in schools as a clear resolve demonstrated by Tanzania in curbing the vice.

Speaking here at the board’s meeting here recently, AUABC Chairperson Seynabou Ndiaye Diakhate said Tanzania had made significant efforts and demonstrated its intent of stamping out corruption through school clubs.

“This has not gone unnoticed, even cases at judicial circles get finalised on time”, she explained.

In 2015, Tanzania began experimenting with involving school children to campaign against corruption.

The anti-corruption clubs set up in schools and institutes of higher learning have helped to cultivate the culture of integrity among students.

Such clubs are aimed to nurture appropriate value and positive attributes among students to enhance their knowledge of ethics and integrity thus promoting their ethical behavior.

The anti-corruption clubs in primary and secondary schools also teach the values of open and responsible governance.

Tanzania is the 94th least corrupt nation out of 180 countries, according to the 2022 Corruption Perceptions Index reported by Transparency International.

Corruption Rank in Tanzania averaged 97.68 from 1998 until 2022, reaching an all time high of 126.00 in 2009 and a record low of 71.00 in 2002.

Meanwhile, Ms Diakhate noted that doing away corruption will be a tall order for many African countries if measures aren’t put in place to recover assets, wealth and resources looted from the continent.

“We expected this to have happened pretty soon, especially after some political uprising in some parts of continent, but nothing has come to fruition”, observed the AUABC Chairperson.

AUABC is an autonomous organ established within the African Union (AU), in terms of Article 22 of the African Union Convention on Preventing and Combating Corruption.

AU members adopted the African Union Convention on Preventing and Combating Corruption (The Convention) at the Second Ordinary Session of the Assembly of the Union, held in Maputo, Mozambique, in July 11 2003.

The Convention entered into force on August 5 2006, thirty days after the deposit of the fifteenth (15th) instrument of ratification.

To date, 48 countries have ratified the Convention and are States Parties to it.