Tackling corruption in our society is highly needed
today, more than ever before.
Without serious commitment in fighting corruption such bad phenomenon will continue to undermine our development aspirations as a nation.
To effectively address the problem of corruption and corrupt practices in the country requires the collective efforts of all and sundry, including the ordinary citizens who pay the price of the actions of corrupt officials.
It is very sad, but it must be said as it is.
Transparency International’s 2010 Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI), released in October 2010, identified Africa as the most corrupt region in the world.
This is a very sad attribute about a continent, the vast majority of whose populations live in abject poverty.
While governments commit large sums to addressing the problems hindering development on the continent, corruption remains a major obstacle to achieving the much needed progress we need in Africa.
It is, therefore, significant that more serious anti-corruption measures form part of our development agenda to ensure future growth and prosperity in the region.
The most common practices of bribery and kickbacks in the infrastructure, education, water and telecommunications sectors, for instance, represent the hidden costs of corruption in many countries in Africa, and the practice must stop if we are to get rid of corruption.
Lack of transparency in the economic transactions of many African governments, and their corrupt leaders, who enrich themselves from the wealth and sweat of the poor people, makes fighting corruption a daunting challenge.
With the enactment of The Gambia Anti-Corruption Commission Bill 2012, we hope that it would pave the way for the punishment of public officers alleged to have engaged in unethical conduct.
