Anticorruption Strategies in Sub-Saharan Africa: Lessons from Experience and Ingredients of a Successful Strategy

The effects of corruption on economic development have been extensively examined. There is overwhelming evidence that corruption is detrimental to economic progress. This, in turn, has provided the rationale to combat corruption. With the insistence of international development partners, many countries in Sub-Saharan Africa have put in place anticorruption strategies to fight corruption. This paper looks at the strategies adopted by some Sub-Saharan African countries to combat corruption with a view to identifying the strengths and weaknesses. Based on the successes or failures of the strategies in the cases examined, the elements that constitute a successful anticorruption strategy are identified. Of the ingredients of anticorruption strategy examined in the paper, the political will to fight corruption appears to be the overriding factor in mounting a successful anticorruption campaign. Besides identifying the necessary factors for a successful anticorruption strategy, the paper also serves as an update on the state of corruption in Sub-Saharan Africa and the literature on the causes of corruption.