Corruption reportedly worsening

Corruption is worsening in Ethiopia and the levels are higher than in previous years, according to the anti-graft watchdog Transparency International (TI). Ethiopia was listed joint 92 on an index of 133 countries, scoring 2.5 on a scale of 10. TI, which is based in Germany, said a lack of coherent rules and regulations, red tape and poorly trained staff were contributing to corruption. “Corruption is a serious problem in Ethiopia,” Jeff Lovitt from TI told IRIN. “There is a problem in developing countries because they lack strong public services.” The African Union – which has pledged to stamp out corruption on the continent – estimates graft has cost Africa around US $148 billion. “Corruption is currently one of the major afflictions seriously confronting Africa,” Desmond Orjiako, spokesman for the AU, told IRIN. “Good governance is part of peace and security and tackling corruption is a key part of good governance,” he added. “The AU has been at the vanguard of ensuring that corruption does not spread on the continent.” In Ethiopia, the federal Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission has been waging war against corruption in the country. Spokesman Abraham Gozguze welcomed the report and said international support to fight corruption was sorely needed in the country. “We also have to create awareness because in many cases what we are trying to do is change the mentality of people,” he noted. He told IRIN that the most recent case of alleged corruption in the country involved a doctor taking a bribe to move patients up a waiting list so they could receive treatment. Other Horn of Africa countries such as Eritrea, Somalia and Djibouti were not covered by the report as insufficient material was provided to enable analysis.