The Africa Regional Centre of Excellence (AFCOE) has praised delegates from Egypt for their attendance and valuable contribution to the Pan-African Counter-Corruption Assembly(PACCA) at its convention this November 2023 in South Africa.
Attending from Egypt were Mohamed Salama, Director of the Egyptian National Anti-Corruption Academy; and Ayman Aboulela,
member of the Central Administration for Internal Cooperation.
The Pan-Africa Counter-Corruption Assembly, held at the Stellenbosch Institute for Advanced Studies, convened on 2nd and 3rd November and saw leaders from across Africa attend and take part in this vital meeting to take steps to tackle the scourge of corruption in Africa. Ministers, law officers, heads of counter-corruption agencies, and counter-corruption experts from across the African continent, as well as delegates from IGOs, MDBs, and the private sector, attended the two-day Assembly to develop greater understanding, collaboration, and to strengthen existing networks.
Professor Lee Marler, a Co-Founder of the AFCOE and a Director of Pavocat – leading advocates in the global fight against corruption – said, “the delegation from Egypt made a valued contribution to the two-day Pan-Africa Counter-Corruption Assembly, and we welcome their renewed commitment to improve collaboration and strengthen networks and understanding between nations and counter-corruption agencies across Africa.”
AFCOE founding patrons Hon Ronald Lamola MP, Minister of Justice and Correctional Services of South Africa, and Professor Thuli Madonsela, Law Faculty Trust Chair in Social Justice (SU) and former Public Protector of South Africa (2009-2016) gave keynote addresses to the assembled attendees. Two days of robust debate and discussion followed, designed to deliver significant outcomes that would enhance collaboration between nations in the vital battle against the scourge of corruption that blights the African continent.
The Assembly was supported by BADEA, the Arab Bank for Economic Development in Africa, global mining company Anglo American plc, and international law firm McAllister Olivarius, and was hosted by the Africa Regional Centre of Excellence (AFCOE).
Corruption impacts economic growth, and social and educational development and in the worst cases leads to rising crime and human rights abuses.
The next step in the fight against corruption, following on from the successful Pan-Africa Counter-Corruption Assembly, is to establish the Africa Counter-Corruption Dialogue which will be developed collaboratively by the Africa Regional Centre of Excellence (AFCOE), and African nations. It will provide a framework that individual nations can download into their own legal frameworks to tackle corruption at home.
Watani International
27 November 2023