African Countries need strong Civil Societies to curb corruption- Dr. Ngozi

NIGERIAN economist and the first female Minister of Finance Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iwewla has bemoaned high levels of public funds mismanagement in Africa.

 

Dr. Ngozi who is also chairperson of the Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunization, said African countries need strong systems to fight corruption which she says is corroding the values of African societies.

 

She said at the recently held International Anti-Corruption Conference Copenhagen, Denmark, that fighting abuse of public funds also requires a strong civil society.

 

“We need a strong civil society. Civil society is part of an institutional base.” Dr. Ngozi said. She said the absence of strong institutions of governance was behind increasing levels of corruption in Africa.

 

And talking about her country Nigeria, Dr. Ngozi said the West African nation seemed to have kleptocratic elite that gave it a bad name.

 

“The majority of Nigerians are honest, hard-working people who just want the government to provide services they need. Then we have kleptocratic elite that give the country a bad name. No one will come into Nigeria to fight corruption it is us Nigerians to fight corruption; the government must also come in to fight it,” Dr. Ngozi said.