Counterbalancing Corruption

Like America, citizens in Africa have health care and opportunities for education and jobs. Unlike America, however, citizens are extremely destitute. Aside from paying bribes to local policemen, health services, and government officials, citizens also have to pay their way to jobs and education. Corruption is one of the causes for poverty (and consequently unemployment and lack of education), poverty being an especially crippling case in Africa. Some organizations have attempted to resolve corruption within Africa’s countries for years.

It might seem insignificant to worry about a country separated from us by an ocean and borders, but Africa is a country strife with corruption and drowning in poverty. “Corruption lingers at the core of many of the world's underdeveloped nations” (Dicker).The quote comes from U.S. News, who reported on the ranking of the top ten most corrupted countries perceived by people globally. Nigeria took first place.

Corruption creates a kind of cycle that only leads to more corruption and poverty. According to the article, “Why Corruption Is Holding Africa Back,” Transparency International, an organization against corruption, estimated that of the 75 million who paid bribes in 2015, the poor were “twice as likely as the richest in the region to have had to make payoffs…”(Veselinovic). It was suggested that the rich are able to use their connections to keep from paying these bribes. However, the destitute of Africa do not, and they already suffer from a lack of health services. The desperation to acquire these services allow corrupted officials to ask for more and give less, making poor citizens feel powerless to do anything else. So these citizens continue to pay bribes, again and again. The destitute continue to have less and less while corruption motivates more officials, who see the growing wealth of their companions, to ask as well.

Currently, organizations have been working to free Africa from corruption through the use of transparency. Transparency International, a previously mentioned organization against corruption, wrote an article about their activities in Africa. In that article, the organization states their solution: “To escape the vicious cycle corruption creates for disadvantaged groups, people need to be able to speak up for their rights and demand accountability from their leaders, ensuring access to basic social services and resources.” (Transparency International). Transparency International works to create environments where local officials and citizens can talk face to face, allowing both sides to be equal. This equal communication with those who once were all-powerful motivates and gives courage to the destitute to demand the services that should be always be available.

For the majority of Africa, corruption is a major problem, greatly perpetuating poverty and corruption within the nation. Many organizations work to alleviate this issue, through means of communication and the transparency of government actions. As an ongoing effort, the reason corruption remains is because corrupted officials seek to acquire more money. In much the same way, the only reason corruption is decreasing is because people seek to live better and happier lives.

Works Cited

Veselinovic, Melina. "Why Corruption Is Holding Africa Back." CNN. Cable News Network. Web. 04 Mar. 2016.

"Poverty and Corruption in Africa." Projects and Activities -. Web. 04 Mar. 2016.

"Mobile monitoring." The Wilson Quarterly 34.1 (2010): 86. Opposing Viewpoints in Context. Web. 7 Mar. 2016..

"The Scale of Corruption in Africa." The Economist. The Economist Newspaper, 03 Dec. 2015. Web. 07 Mar. 2016.

Dicker, Rachel. "10 Most Corrupt Countries, Ranked By Perception." US News. U.S.News & World Report, 11 Feb. 2016. Web. 08 Mar. 2016.

Anti-Corruption Climate Change. Proc. of 6th National Seminar on Economic Crime. United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime. Web. 08 Mar. 2016.