In its latest report released on Tuesday, global corruption watchdog Transparency International revealed that Somalia and South Sudan, both plagued by protracted crises and armed conflicts, have been ranked among the world’s most corrupt countries.
The Corruption Perception Index 2023 assigned Somalia a score of 11 out of 100, while South Sudan scored 13, indicating no signs of improvement in their corruption levels.
Equatorial Guinea and Libya also fared poorly, with scores of 17 and 18 respectively on the index. Transparency International evaluates perceptions of corruption in the public sector across 180 countries, using a scale ranging from 0 (highly corrupt) to 100 (very clean).
The report highlighted the persistent poor performance of most African countries, with an unchanged regional average score of 33, indicating stagnation. Approximately 90% of sub-Saharan African countries scored below 50 on the index. Transparency International called upon governments in the region to grant independence, resources, and transparency to justice systems in order to effectively combat corruption.
Samuel Kaninda, the Africa Regional Advisor of Transparency International, emphasized the urgent need to address governance deficits in light of the resurgence of coups and conflicts in several African countries. Kaninda stated, “Strengthening the judiciary and establishing functional accountability mechanisms are essential to halt the continuous deterioration in the region’s fight against corruption.”
Among sub-Saharan African countries, the Seychelles was ranked the least corrupt with a score of 71, followed by Cape Verde (64), Botswana (59), and Rwanda (53). The watchdog organization commended the Ivory Coast for its consistent improvement on the index over the past decade, attributing it to President Alassane Ouattara’s successful implementation of various reforms aimed at strengthening accountability mechanisms.
The Corruption Perceptions Index for 2023 exposed the thriving nature of corruption worldwide. The global average score remained stagnant at 43, with the majority of countries making no progress or experiencing a decline in the fight against corruption over the past decade.
Transparency International’s CEO, Daniel Eriksson, emphasized the detrimental impact of corruption on social justice and its disproportionate effects on vulnerable populations. Eriksson expressed the urgent need to overcome barriers and ensure equal access to justice, stating, “Everyone deserves fair and inclusive legal systems where the voices of corruption victims are heard at every stage. Anything less is an insult to justice.”
