Côte d'Ivoire

This guidance seeks to capture and explore the innovative approaches that African governments have developed to address the demand and supply sides of corruption more effectively and sustainably. It is designed to help government institutions, in particular national anti-corruption agencies, engage with the private sector more effectively to prevent corruption.

The document highlights good practices identified through interviews, desk research and a 2021 Southern African Development Community (SADC) training on “Emerging anti-corruption issues and private-sector engagement for SADC anti-corruption agencies”.

Africa offers many examples of innovative, unique and context-sensitive approaches to engage the private sector in anti-corruption efforts. Ghana’s National Anti-Corruption Action Plan, for instance, offers an award scheme and is looking into providing tax benefits to companies that enforce anti-corruption measures and demonstrate leadership in the fight against corruption. Other agencies and governments in the region, such as Morocco, are currently discussing implementing a reward system for compliant companies that can be considered when companies bid for public tenders.

These examples demonstrate how African governments proactively seek to tackle corruption and collaborate with the private sector.

From the initiatives captured, three common strategic approaches can be identified to underpin effective and impactful engagement:

• Raising awareness, guiding and working with the private sector to more effectively address corruption risks.
• Identifying and providing incentives to companies investing in their compliance programmes.
• Demonstrating leadership by actively participating in Collective Action and public-private partnerships.

Africa is estimated to lose an unbelievable USD 88.6 billion (3.7% of Africa’s GDP) each year to illicit financial flows, of which corruption is a major component. Rooting out corruption is a collective effort, and the private sector has a major role to play in laying down the foundations for clean business environments and sustainable development.

That is why anti-corruption Collective Action  has got so much to offer Africa, and in particular West African coastal states keen to maximise their clear economic potential. As the spectrum of Collective Action initiatives is quite large, it allows for innovative measures where governments, companies and civil society organisations (CSOs) can join forces toward a common objective, despite their different perspectives. This collaborative approach therefore provides a fertile ground for constructive dialogue between like-minded stakeholders, as well as an opportunity to understand the private sector’s language and reality.

CSOs have an important part to play in bringing Collective Action to the fight against corruption in West Africa. They must continue to initiate, facilitate and engage in Collective Action initiatives to help raise awareness and build bridges. Their presence can bring credibility, independent oversight and accountability to the initiatives.

This Policy Brief is based on conversations held with CSOs based in Benin (Social Watch Benin), Ghana (Ghana Integrity Initiative), Ivory Coast (Ivorian Youth Leaders’ Network) and Togo (The Togolese National Agency for Consumers and the Environment). It aims to capture their experiences, challenges and outlook on what the future for Collective Action could hold in the region.

Despite their different backgrounds, they are united on one point: fighting corruption collectively by raising the voice of the private sector is an important step to pave the way for sustainable economic growth.

About this Policy Brief

Chaque année, les flux financiers illicites, dont la corruption est une composante majeure, font perdre environ 88,6 milliards de dollars (3,7 % de son PIB) à l’Afrique. La lutte contre ce fléau est un effort collectif et le secteur privé a un rôle majeur à jouer dans la promotion d’un environnement économique prospère et d’un développement durable du continent.

C’est pourquoi l’Action Collective  contre la corruption a tant à offrir à l’Afrique, et en particulier aux États côtiers d’Afrique de l’Ouest désireux de maximiser leur potentiel économique. Le spectre des initiatives d’Action Collective étant assez large, il permet des mesures innovantes où gouvernements, entreprises et organisations de la société civile (OSC) unissent leurs forces, malgré des intérêts parfois divergents. Cette approche collaborative constitue à la fois un terrain fertile pour un dialogue constructif, et une occasion de mieux comprendre les réalités du secteur privé.

Les OSC ont également un rôle important à jouer dans la promotion de l’Action Collective en Afrique de l’Ouest. Elles doivent continuer à initier, faciliter et s’engager dans des initiatives d’Action Collective pour aider à sensibiliser et construire des ponts entre différentes parties prenantes. Leur présence apporte souvent transparence et crédibilité aux initiatives. Les résultats présentés dans ce Policy Brief sont issus d’échanges avec des OSC basées au Bénin (Social Watch Bénin), au Ghana (Ghana Integrity Initiative), en Côte d’Ivoire (Le Réseau des jeunes leaders pour l’intégrité) et au Togo (L’Alliance nationale des consommateurs et de l’environnement). Il vise à relater les défis et les opportunités que représente l’Action Collective dans la région.

Malgré les différents contextes dans lesquels elles opèrent, ces organisations sont unies sur un point : lutter collectivement contre la corruption en faisant entendre la voix du secteur privé – élément crucial pour une croissance économique durable.

About this Policy Brief

Cette publication fait partie de la série des Policy Briefs du Basel Institute on Governance, ISSN 2624-9669. Elle est publiée sous licence Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0).