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AU advocates blocking illicit finances to boost Africa’s growth

AU Conference on corruption

The African Union (AU) has emphasised that addressing the issue of illicit financial outflows from the continent is crucial for expediting progress toward achieving inclusive growth and sustainable development.

Patrick Olomo, Head of the Department of Economic Affairs at the AU Commission, made this assertion in Nairobi, Kenya.

Olomo was addressing the 2023 African Parliamentary Network on Illicit Financial Flows and Taxation Conference, held in Kenya.

He highlighted that illicit financial outflows, resulting from activities such as theft and tax evasion, significantly diminish Africa’s capacity to generate its own financial resources.

“Generating its own capacity is necessary for the continent to realise its development objectives,” he said.

He pointed out that a significant contributing factor to Africa’s financial shortfalls “is the pervasive problem of illicit financial flows to external jurisdictions”.

The NewsZenith reports that the two-day gathering convened more than 100 parliamentarians from over 40 African nations.

They deliberated on policy trends and challenges related to combatting illicit financial flows.

Olomo announced that Africa was presently confronted with an estimated annual financing gap of over $200 billion.

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He underscored that this financial shortfall is compounded by mounting difficulties in accessing private financial resources and overseas development aid.

“Therefore, the conference underscores the imperative of enhancing domestic resource mobilisation initiatives,” he said.

The fight against corruption has contributed significantly to the ongoing transformation of economies across the continent.
It reinforces the determination towards achieving inclusive and sustainable development as envisaged in Africa’s Agenda 2063.
These strides in the fight against corruption have been supported by legal and policy frameworks such as the African Union’s Convention on Preventing and Combatting Corruption (AUCPCC).
The need to focus on the impact of corruption was solidified in 2018, which was designated as the African Anti-Corruption Year.
During the year, the African Union reflected on the effectiveness of the approaches used to fight corruption on the continent.

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