According to Transparency International data for 2008, corruption remains a serious challenge for the continent and progress in combating it remains mixed. In 2008 the number of countries listed in the world top quartile rose to three (Botswana, Cape Verde and Mauritius) compared to two in 2007 (Botswana and South Africa). There might have been 4 in 2008 had the score for South Africa not slipped below 5. In 2008, 10 countries were in the second quartile (as in 2007), while 22 were in the third and 18 in the lowest, compared to 20 and 20, respectively, in 2007. Although some countries improved their performance, it is clear that transparency and good governance remain elusive, with 36 countries still scoring less than 3, indicating that corruption is perceived as rampant.

The 2008 CPI results show that countries like Benin, Burkina Faso, Mauritius and Nigeria significantly increased their score. However, the situation deteriorated sharply in Burundi and Somalia, while setbacks were also recorded in Mozambique, Tanzania and Uganda. Generally, worse performing countries saw their position deteriorate; the number of countries with a score below 2 increased from 6 to 13. These countries also represent those in which human development is among the lowest, confirming that there is a link between fighting corruption and improving the quality of public expenditure to reduce poverty.

Cape Verde, Mali, Mozambique, Niger and Tunisia ratified the United Nations Convention against corruption in 2008, bringing to 39 the number of African countries to have done so. In 2008, Cameroon and Sudan signed the African Union Convention on Preventing and Combating Corruption, bringing the number of African countries having signed to 43 since 2003. In addition, two new ratifications occurred, in Seychelles and Sierra Leone. The convention entered into force in 2007.

Despite the trouble spots, the continent’s commitment to achieving good governance in all its ramifications is reflected in the African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM) process, launched in July 2002 as the flagship governance programme of the NEPAD. The primary purpose of the APRM is to foster the adoption of policies, standards and practices that lead to political stability, high economic growth, sustainable development and accelerated sub-regional and continental economic integration. As of February 2008, 29 countries had voluntarily acceded to the Mechanism. Mauritania was, however, suspended in November 2008 following a coup d’état that ousted its democratically elected president.

For the first time ever, four peer reviews were conducted in 2008: Benin, Uganda, Nigeria and Burkina Faso. This is an achievement when only five peer reviews had been conducted between 2003 and 2007: Ghana, Rwanda, Kenya, South Africa and Algeria. Country Review Missions to Mali, Mozambique, Lesotho and Ethiopia have been scheduled the first half of 2009 and missions to Mauritius and Zambia are expected in the second half of the year. Mozambique, Lesotho and Mali have already received country review missions and will be peer-reviewed in 2009.

Two additional dimensions were recently added to the APRM process. The APRM Forum embarked on the examination of the cross-cutting issues (areas of deficiencies identified in all the reviewed countries to date) at its first Extraordinary Summit which took place in Cotonou, Benin, in November 2008. The areas of focus were: Managing Diversities and Xenophobia; Elections in Africa; and Resource Control and Management: Land; and, Corruption. At the heart of the peer review process is the National Programme of Action (NPOA) designed to address the various challenges identified in the four thematic areas. For the first time in the history of the APRM, the January 2009 summit of the APRM Forum was dedicated to a comprehensive and holistic review of progress in the implementation of the National Programmes of Action by countries that have completed the Review Process. Ghana, Rwanda, Kenya, Algeria, South Africa and Benin presented their progress reports.

Launched in 2002, the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI) promotes transparency in payments made by extractive companies and revenues received by governments of countries rich in oil, gas and minerals. Among the 26 candidate countries, 18 are African. Central African Republic (December 2008) and Tanzania (February 2009) were the most recent countries to join the initiative. To date, only 7 countries (Cameroon, Gabon, Ghana, Guinea, Liberia, Mauritania and Nigeria) have published reports on their revenues and payments, and some of the reports are not very informative. Moreover, civil society engagement – imperative to a successful implementation of the initiative – is still very limited in many of these countries. African countries need to strengthen their commitments to EITI, embed it in broader governance reform processes, including incorporating revenue transparency into domestic legislation (Nigeria and São Tomé and Principe have taken these steps already).