Nyusi praises AU commitment to fight against corruption

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Nyusi praises AU commitment to fight against corruption

7:48 CAT | 30 Jan 2018

Photo: Rádio Moçambique

Mozambican President Filipe Nyusi told reporters in Addis Ababa on Monday that the theme for this year’s African Union summit – “Winning the fight against corruption: a sustainable path to Africa’s transformation” – is fully aligned with actions under way in Mozambique.

Speaking at a press briefing at the end of the summit, Nyusi said the crucial activity of his government is focused on the fight against corruption as one of the stages to guarantee the growth of Mozambique and of Africa.

“This theme is of extreme importance for us”, he said. “It expresses total alignment with what we are doing in Mozambique. We came here once again to prove that we are not out of context – indeed the context we have defined is the universal context which regards the fight against corruption as one of the means for solving many of the concerns of our communities”.

Nyusi recognised that this is not an easy task, but a long process – but he believed that Mozambique is taking firm steps forward.

He admitted that corruption “has become routine over time, and many people came to think that it was a way of living. We have to find ways so that corruption ceases to be the rule”.

To reverse the situation, time is needed said Nyusi – but it must not be the same length of time that people took to acquire the habit of corruption.

He added that corruption “is exported and imported”, which means that “war must be waged both there and here”.

“When nobody was punished, when nobody was put on trial because of corruption, then it was imagined that there wasn’t any corruption”, Nyusi said. “Let’s get down to work. This is a war that all of us, all Mozambicans, have to fight”.

The AU estimates that 25 per cent of Africa’s Gross Domestic Product is lost to corruption every year. The AU has a Convention on Preventing and Fighting Corruption which took effect in 2006, but to date only 38 of the AU’s 55 member states have ratified it, and there is no mechanism for enforcement.

Source: AIM