The African Union wants adequate protection for whistleblowers to encourage them to report on corruption.
The AU already has the Convention on Preventing and Combating Corruption (AUCPCC), a formative treaty meant to unify definitions, prosecution, penalties and other legal processes linked to fighting corruption, including sharing standards.
But the continental body’s experts say whistleblowers are a pillar because they sent out early warnings about corruption.
Among the proposed measures is the establishment of effective whistleblower systems, the provision of incentives to encourage more whistleblowers, safeguarding their identities, enacting and implementing laws to combat corruption.
They spoke at the 2024 African Anti-Corruption Dialogue, organised by the African Union Advisory Board Against Corruption (AUABC), in Arusha.
AUABC chairperson Seynabou Ndiaye Diakhate said low levels of reporting corruption have partly been attributed to fear of retaliation and reprisals of whistleblowers.
The two-day forum themed ‘Effective whistleblowers protection mechanisms: A critical tool in the fight against corruption,’ came amid anti-government protests that have gripped parts of Africa, fueled by rising public anger over high-level corruption and economic mismanagement in...
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