| Summary: |
As the African countries have proceeded in their transitions to the market economy and decentralized, democratic, responsive government, corruption has become an enormous impediment to the transformation and to the improvement in living standards. A focus on good governance (anti-corruption programs through capacity building and institutional reforms) have become a major focus of the World Bank and international donor community. Thus far international anticorruption efforts has tended to focus on the governments in international and national levels. Yet as private sector, NGOs, and civil society, have gained increased powers and responsibilities at the sub-national and national levels, corruption has come to have a growing impact on the lives on the lives of citizens in Africa countries. The responsibilities of NGOs, private sector, and local governments vary across the region/country but may include such services as local economic development, education, housing, advocacy, waste disposal, urban development, services for vulnerable groups, licensing etc. Municipal governments, NGOs, Civil society and Private Sector and their inherent levels of integrity has an important effect on people’s everyday lives. This presentation makes an argument that anti-corruption strategies are most effective when they are participative and inclusive of all stakeholders in society. Such inclusiveness requires building coalitions among stakeholders-government, civil society, NGOs etc, within a country in order to ensure that the reforms are sustainable. Coalitions do not only sustain reforms, but also can strengthen and sustain political will to act against corrupt and to strengthen governance generally. This presentation will focus on coalition building and capacity training of citizens and public officials in the area of coalition building from several African countries including Kenya, Tanzania, Zambia, Ethiopia, Nigeria, and Sierra Leone.
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