More than 148 billion dollars is lost to corruption in Africa-AU Report

Mrs Patricia Alsup, Deputy Chief of Mission at the United States (US) Embassy said according to the African Union, more than 148 billion dollars is lost to corruption in Africa every year.

Mrs Alsup said the figure is equivalent to 25 per cent of Africa's Gross Domestic Product.

She added that a World Bank study revealed that corrupt public officials in developing and transition countries receive between 20 dollars and 40 dollars billion in bribes annually, which is equivalent of 20 to 40 per cent of official development assistance.


Mrs Alsup said this on Monday at a five-day opening ceremony of the West Africa Regional Anti-Corruption Workshop in Accra hosted by the US government.

The workshop brought together key international enforcement agents from across West Africa to discuss the impact of local and international anti-corruptions and bribery legislation and its enforcement in West Africa.

The participating countries include Ghana, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, Liberia and Tanzania.

She said the workshop is part of the US efforts to assist in building accountable institutions in West Africa as part of the West Africa Cooperative Security Initiative, a new initiative to address the growing threat of transnational organized crime and drug trafficking in West Africa.
Read more from source: modernghana