Zimbabwe’s public sector is perceived to be one of the most corrupt in sub-Saharan Africa, only coming second to Angola in the southern African region, a report has shown.
Transparency International’s Corruption Perception Index (CPI) this year ranked Zimbabwe 156 out of 175 countries after it scored 21 points.
The average CPI score for sub-Saharan Africa is 33 points, with Botswana being the leading country with perceived low levels of corruption ranked at 31 with an impressive 61 points.
Angola, with a score of 19, is ranked at 161 while the DRC came in at 154 with a CPI score of 22.
Zimbabwe’s CPI score of 21 puts it at par with Iran, Nigeria, Russia and Azerbaijan.
In a statement, Transparency International Regional Director for Africa and the Middle East Chantal Uwimana said the report showed that corruption in Africa was endemic despite high economic growth rates.
Uwimana said illicit financial flows from Africa, which exceed combined inflows from official development assistance, were hindering development efforts.
“It should be a matter of global concern that while citizens in Africa are confronted with corruption to access poor basic services, illicit financial flows from Africa are quickly draining the continent and depriving African countries of resources for investment and development,” she said.
The United Nations Economic Commission for Africa estimates that the annual outflow of illicit finance through trade mispricing alone stands at about $60 billion, having grown at a real rate of 32.5 per cent in the decade between 2000 and 2009.
Other SADC countries South Africa and Namibia are ranked at 67 and 55, respectively.
North Korea and Somalia are tied as the most corrupt.- The Source
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