Africa’s consistent economic growth has been accompanied by steadily increased political or grand corruption across the continent. This pervasive corruption presents a significant obstacle to achieving peace, security, and development in Africa, as it exacerbates inequalities and hampers access to public service. Grand corruption, often perpetrated by political elites, also fuels greed and grievance, a trigger of conflict on the continent. Traditional approaches to combating grand corruption through criminal prosecution has proven inadequate, as it is covertly perpetrated by affluent and influential elites motivated by greed and power, undermining anti-corruption efforts. To avoid impunity and protect public resources, this discussion makes three key points. Firstly, adopting a systems approach to understand and combat grand corruption by implementing corruption proofing (deterrence and prevention) measures such as diagonal accountability to develop innovative, transparent, and accountable institutions. Secondly, disincentivizing perpetrators by confiscating the proceeds of their crimes and redirecting them towards public services, thereby encouraging public engagement in the fight against corruption. Thirdly, leveraging the perceived independence of the media, civil society, and community-based organizations to promote diagonal accountability, spurring a whole-of-society approach, while advocating for supranational law enforcement to eliminate safe havens for elite kleptocrats.

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