President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi said on Wednesday that many important legislations for eradicating corruption were issued in Egypt recently, saying that corruption is one of the main serious obstacles for achieving sustainable development.
During his speech in the opening session of the African Anti-Corruption Forum (AACF), which is being held on 12-13 June in Sharm El-Sheikh, Al-Sisi noted that Egypt has established the national committee for the eradication of corruption as part of the state’s anti-corruption efforts.
The president added that Egypt is committed to international standards regarding fighting corruption, and has also signed in the international and Arabic related agreements including the African Union (AU) Convention on Prevention and Combating Corruption, as well as considering the needed legislations to meet the agreement.
The AU Convention on Prevention and Combating Corruption is considered to be the fundamental legal framework for combating corruption in Africa. The Convention came into force in 2006 after being ratified by 15 African countries. In January 2017, President Al-Sisi signed the convention and it was subsequently ratified by Egypt in July 2017.
The AACF is being held after the initiative of Al-Sisi during his participation in the African summit. It also comes amid Egypt’s presidency over the AU.
It aims to encourage African countries to adopt policies, programmes, and work plans that contribute to the eradication of corruption and to establish a knowledge link base between different regions of the continent on the risks of corruption and its severe negative effect on development.
Corruption represents a major challenge for the African nations and their aspiration for development and prosperous life. The huge and diversified resources of Africa are degraded by the negative effect of corruption, while several nations still suffer from illicit financial inflows.
The forum provides a platform for exchange experiences and forging cooperation among African countries in the field of combating corruption. It addresses several topics including the continental and national efforts conducted by African countries in accordance with their international and regional commitments.
