Corruption and Its Implications for Development and Good Governance: A Perspective from Post-Colonial Africa

Abstract

One of the many impediments to a specific region, country and/or continents political, social and economic growth prospects is corruption, the aim of this paper is to unearth the drivers and consequences of corruption in post-colonial Africa. Corruption is a global phenomenon; however when observing global corruption statistics and/or trends, it seems to be more prominent in underdeveloped continents such as Africa. Corruption in Africa is purely driven by low levels of economic growth, bad governance structures weak constitutions political instability, high levels of poverty coupled with high and ever-increasing levels of unemployment. We argue that post the colonial era, there has been a rise of corruption activities within the continent where individuals including some African heads of states have looted the continent of its resources meant for the general populace. In this sense, corruption takes resources meant for the poor, limits foreign direct investments (FDI) and has severe effects on a continent that is already the least developed in the world.

Post-colonial Independence and Africa’s Corruption Conundrum: A Succinct South African Critique Post-democratisation

“…It is paramount to stress that if African states are to address corruption and revamp their fragile economies robustly, development-oriented leadership is a prerequisite. Such, we argue, pertains to each state implementing robust adopted national policies driven by anti-corruption strategies that aim to limit corruption (Mlambo et al 2019). Indeed, these should be driven by the promotion of national integrity systems that are citizen-friendly and politically inclusive; this is because fighting corruption requires a clear ethical commitment by the political elite.…”

The Tragedy of the African National Congress (ANC) and its Cadre Deployment Policy: Ramifications for Municipal Stability, Corruption and Service Deliver

“…In terms of the former, corruption may lead to political instability as unrest may occur driven by individuals who have had enough of corruption. From a social perspective, corruption gives individuals the opportunity to loot state resources for self-enrichment (see Mlambo et al, 2019). This is notwithstanding that South Africa has some of the continent's best anti-corruption agencies.…”

Fraud in Nonprofit Organizations: How to Mitigate it?

“…Participants agreed that business knowledge, experience, and skills were among the factors that contributed to identify, prevent, and mitigate fraud (Table 3). Mlambo, et al, [42] argued that a successful leader or manager must have business skills such as competency, problem-solving capability, adaptability, self-direction, initiative spirit, critical thinking, innovative skills, and communication skills. P1 and P2 noted that their business skills and experience helped to promote financial activities and prevent fraud.…”