President of Rwanda Paul Kagame has called for transparency in fight against corruption in African countries
Kegame speaking on Tuesday in Abuja during the National Democracy Day Anti-Corruption Summit theme: “Curbing Electoral Spending: A Panacea to Public Corruption”, said anti corruption war should be reframed in positive terms as a struggle for transparency, public integrity and accountability.
He said corruption should be tackled from the top down, noting that, “it is the fairest approach and the most effective because it empowers the public in the fight, and hold leaders accountable through elections.”
According to him, “it is not enough to fight corruption just as merely fighting poverty,but to create value to create wealth, not only fighting to eliminate corruption”
Kegame said: “Corruption can be reduced to the barest minimum. overcoming corruption is about four key Principles: culture, responsibility, accountability and effectiveness.
“Africa must discard the myth that corruption is endemic to a particular culture, corruption is a universal weakness and not an African one.
“This is why it is time to redefine transparency as a global objective that requires all to work together with mutual respect.
“Corruption does not take decades to eradicate, huge gains can be made quickly once we decide to break the habit, and we in Africa are in charge of our own future.
“It is not enough to fight corruption just as merely fighting poverty, “we want to create value, we want to create wealth, not only fighting to eliminate corruption and ensure all nations benefit from nation-building.”
He added that the purpose of transparency is not to impress others but to make our own societies better because that is what our people expect.
He noted that without transparency and trust, leaders would not be able to use national wealth to make measurable improvements in the wellbeing of citizens.
