AFRICAN ANTI-CORRUPTION EXPERTS MEET IN ARUSHA

The Arusha-based African Union Advisory Board Against Corruption (AUABC) is preparing a continental regimen for the protection of whistleblowers to bolden the fight against the vice which is rated as main enemy of justice, social inclusion and development. AUABC Executive Secretary, Charity Nchimunya told ‘The Arusha News’ that the guidelines would be hammered out during the 2024 African Anti-Corruption Dialogue to be held on November 7-8 in Arusha. Whistleblowers are the unsung heroes of Africa’s anti-corruption campaigns, yet far too often, their protection is overlooked or neglected,” said AUABC Chairperson Seynabou Ndiaye Diakhate. Echoing the views of her Chairperson, Secretary General Nchimunya said the dialogue aims to fill that gap by identifying practical solutions, building alliances and ensuring robust protection frameworks are put in place. The two-day forum, themed: “Effective Whistleblower Protection Mechanisms: A Critical Tool in the Fight Against Corruption,” will be attended by more than 100 high[1]profile stakeholders, including government officials, civil society leaders and anti-corruption experts. They will all gather to address the critical need for stronger safeguards to protect whistleblowers—the men and women who risk their lives to expose corruption, often facing harassment, threats and retaliation not only against them, but often too, against their loved ones and close relatives. This dialogue resonates with the views of Tanganyika’s founding father, Mwalimu Julius Nyerere, who, addressing the Legislative Council on May 17, 1960—just two weeks before the country gained internal rule—stated, “Now, Sir, I think corruption must be treated with ruthlessness because I believe myself corruption and bribery is a greater enemy to the welfare of a people in peacetime than war.” He added, “I believe myself corruption in a country should be treated in almost the same way as you treat treason.” (Hansard, 35th Session Debate on the Budget, reproduced in Nyerere: Freedom and Unity, Pg 82). T h e d a n g e r s f a c e d b y whistleblowers in Africa are illustrated in Fighting Corruption is Dangerous: The Story Behind the Headlines, a book by former Nigerian Finance Minister Ms Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala. In 2012, d u r i n g h e r a nt i – c o r r u p t i o n campaign, her 83-year-old mother was kidnapped by those opposed to her reforms. The kidnappers demanded that she publicly resign and leave the country. She refused and her mother eventually escaped unharmed, but the incident left an indelible mark on Nigeria’s anticorruption fight. I n S o u t h A f r i c a , f o r m e r President Jacob Zuma partly fell from grace and power in 2018 due to allegations of corruption, which he denied but his case, involving huge payoffs in an arms deal to a French company, nevertheless, became a huge political scandal. AUABC event will run parallel with the Third African Anti[1]Corruption Non-State Actors Forum, which will provide a platform for civil society groups to discuss their role in the fight against corruption, Ms Nchimanya said. The Dialogue will be followed by the 47th Ordinary Session of AUABC