By Ritah Kemigisa
African Union Member States have been challenged to intensify the fight against corruption to improve lives of women & girls.
According to the African Women’s Development & Communication Network (FEMNET), all countries under the AU should champion this agenda by bridging the gaps of gender inequality and also increase service provision for the continent’s women and girls.
FEMNET’s Head of Communications Mildred Ngesa argues that the resources that have been lost through corruption could have been used for provision of quality sexual and reproductive health services and also improve the quality of education.
According to the African Union, 25 per cent of the GDP of African countries is lost to corruption every year with 5% of these resources lost through illicit financial flows while 65% of the outflows are drawn from commercial activity by multinationals and 30% from criminal activities.
Meanwhile the theme for the 30th Ordinary Session of the Africa Union Summit is; “Winning the fight against Corruption: A Sustainable Path to Africa’s Transformation”.
In a press statement, Ms Ngesa says that by focusing on addressing issues of corruption in 2018, the Africa Union is declaring its solidarity with millions of Africa’s women and girls who have over the years decried the vice that continues to ravage the attainment of equal rights and services in the political, social and economic spectrum.
The African Women’s Development and Communication Network is a pan- African membership-based feminist network based in Nairobi with over 600 members across 46 African countries.
FEMNET envisions an African society where gender equality is achieved and women and girls enjoy their rights and dignity while in its mission it seeks to facilitate and coordinate the sharing of experiences, ideas, information, and strategies for human rights promotion among African women’s organizations through networking, communication, capacity-building and advocacy at the regional and international levels.
