The heads of anti-corruption agencies from 21 African member states of the Commonwealth met in Accra, 
Ghana, from May 6-11, 2024. The theme of the conference was “Strengthening Institutions and Promoting Transparency: A means of fighting Corruption in Commonwealth Africa”.
PTF Advisor Hady Fink addressed the meeting, emphasizing the importance of partnerships between government agencies dedicated to anti-corruption and civil society organizations. He also led a session entitled “Engaging Civil Society in the Fight against Corruption”.
The importance of the meeting was highlighted by Commonwealth Secretary-General Patricia Scotland KC, who noted: “The global cost of corruption exceeds $3.5 trillion dollars each year. In developing countries, funds lost to corruption are around 10 times the amount of official development assistance. Africa loses more than $50 billion a year to illicit financial flows. Indeed, over the past 50 years, Africa’s loss to corruption has exceeded the total of all the Official Development Assistance received during the same period. […] What we lose to corruption is more than enough to lift everybody out of poverty and deliver the SDGs. Tackling corruption is a priority of the highest order for the Commonwealth Secretariat because we are serious about implementing the SDGs.”
More information:
Hady Fink’s Presentation at the 14th Commonwealth Regional Conference
What can civil society organizations contribute to the work of Anti-Corruption Authorities?
