The seminal work of the High Level Panel has played a crucial role in recalibrating the global debate around corrupt practises, shining the spotlight on western countries and their multinational corporations and the role they play in abetting corrupt practises. This could be said to go against conventional opinion that has largely depicted Africa as corrupt and western countries as ethical. An examination of the Transparency International rankings reinforces this perception with a country like Somalia ranking poorly, while Switzerland is rated highly despite being a secrecy jurisdiction that facilitates the concealment of the proceeds of corruption. This has led some to argue that such corruption indices do not place sufficient focus on the supply side of corruption.
George Mukundi, former Head, African Governance Architecture (AGA) Secretariat, Department of Political Affairs, African Union Commission (AUC), says Nigeria ranks below 20 per cent in making information on security spending available to the public. Mukundi made the call in Abuja at a two-day International Conference on Security Budget in Nigeria.
This collection of policy briefs seeks to contribute to achieving a homogeneous understanding and to influence ongoing dialogue on the AU’s institutional reforms. The scope covered in this collection ranges from the elements of the institutional reform process to actors, partnerships, financing peace and security and compliance to the reforms. The collection does not seek to impose a verdict on whether the reforms will be successful or not.
The vision of the African Union (AU) is to achieve “an integrated, prosperous and peaceful Africa, driven by its own citizens and representing a dynamic force in the global arena”. The attainment of that vision hinges on three foundational imperatives: democratic governance, peace and security, and sustainable development. The focus of this report is on the interlinkages between democratic governance on the one hand and peace and security on the other.
