HT Exclusive
By Emmanuel Nduka
Generally, women are glamorized as being exclusively incorruptible. Because of their motherly tendencies, it is overly easy to assume that their participation in politics/leadership positions will stem the tide of corruption.
The 2022 Transparency International (TI) annual global report on corruption revealed that corruption has not improved positively for decades, when measured by its average index. Especially in poor countries, the situation was getting worse.
Several countries have put the conception to test – that women are less likely to be corrupt than men. In a bid to stamp out corruption, a state in Mexico in 2011 created an all-female traffic police unit. In the early 1990s, Peru took a similar approach.
But modern day women leaders are dynamic, innovative, tenacious and diverse. They are positively shaping the political sphere, inspiring a brighter future, mobilizing the global climate movement, pushing for social protections, and dismantling systemic gender-based discriminations.
African women are rising. While the likes Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, Director-General of the World Trade Organization; Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, former President of Liberia; Samia Suluhu Hassan, President of Tanzania; Jewel Howard Taylor, the current Vice President of Liberia, and many others continue to make global impacts, some other women in Africa will be remembered for muddling their womanly dignity in the sinking sea of corruption.
In Nigeria, a 37-year-old medical doctor was entrusted with ministerial power in the President Bola Tinubu Cabinet. In less than six months of service, she is already suspended, and is facing charges on allegation of paying N585million into a personal account.
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Women Believing In Women
Lauretta Onochie, a former Media Aide to ex-Nigerian President, Muhammadu Buhari told Heritage Times HT that while it is true that there are studies suggesting that women may be less prone to corruption in certain contexts, it is important to approach these discussions with nuance and not generalise based on gender alone.
“I’m glad you brought up this topic. It’s important to recognise that corruption is a complex issue influenced by various factors such as socio-economic conditions, cultural norms, religious conditioning and individual values.
“It’s really important to consider the underlying causes and address them systematically. Gender-balanced and inclusive leadership can contribute to more transparent and ethical governance, but it’s crucial to recognise the individuality of each person rather than making blanket statements based on gender.
“In a society where values are placed on non important things with no consequences for corrupt practices, corruption would thrive among the people,” she said.
Lady Eunice Nnachi, CEO/Founder of Eunice Nnachi Women Advocacy Foundation (ENWAF) in Nigeria’s oil-rich Niger Delta region, noted that with the current happenings in Nigeria, the belief that women are less likely to be corrupt while holding public office is not universally true.
“While some studies suggest that female public officials may be less involved in corrupt practices than their male counterparts, this difference could be partially due to the fact that women have less access to power and resources, rather than an inherent moral superiority.
“Studies shows that women perceive and experience corruption differently than men, and that women suffer corruption to a greater extent due to unequal power relations between men and women.
“However, the claim that women are less prone to corruption than men is highly controversial and not supported by me. Before I used to think and believe so, but now no,” the veteran journalist told Heritage Times HT.
Mutoni Sabine, a social commentator based in Kigali, Rwanda, told Heritage Times HT that in the East African country, men and women are almost equally liable to be corrupt. “Here corruption is very low, because technology is on a high level,” she said, adding that the institutional punishment for corruption is “serious”, hence, people are naturally afraid to engage in corrupt practices.
Women Who Crossed The Red Line In Nigeria
In not too many years ago, some female Nigerian political representatives have disappointed. Former Petroleum Minister Diezani Alison-Madueke; former Aviation Minister Stella Oduah; Patricia Etteh, the first female to serve as Speaker of the Nigerian House of Representatives; former Water Resources Minister Sarah Ochekpe; former Finance Minister Kemi Adeosun; and Betta Edu, the recently suspended Humanitarian and Poverty Alleviation Minister, are Nigerian female politicians that are alleged to have soiled their womanhood in the shameful act of public stealing.
Gabon, South Africa Episodes
In September 2023, Heritage Times HT had reported how the wife of Gabon’s ousted President Ali Bongo Ondimba was charged with “money laundering” and other offences, a month after her husband was toppled in a bloodless coup.
Madam Sylvia Bongo Ondimba Valentin, who is Franco-Gabonese, along with one of her sons, were accused by the coup leader of having pulled the corruption strings in the oil-rich country. She was also labelled with other charges including concealment and forgery, the country’s top prosecutor said.
Sylvia Bongo was kept under house arrest in the capital Libreville since the August 30, 2023 coup that brought the curtain down on Bongo’s 55-year dynasty rule.
South Africa’s Nomvula Mokonyane was appointed Premier of Gauteng in 2009. Her first sin was to spend millions of taxpayers money to renovate her home, spending R3million alone on her bedroom. It was said that her entire reign as premier was steeped in corruption so much so that the Public Service Commission took her to court for turning a blind eye to corruption in the province. “Her name should have rather been MAMA CORRUPTION,” @goolammv wrote on X, formerly Twitter.
When in 2014 she was appointed Minister of Water & Sanitation, she was alleged to have looted billions. @goolammv also wrote that at one time, she received an Aston Martin as part of a bribe. Nomvula Mokonyane who is currently the First Deputy Secretary-General of the African National Congress (ANC), served in former President Jacob Zuma’s Cabinet.
Ghana, Rwanda, Morocco Are Changing The Narrative
In Ghana, findings have shown that, compared to men, women are less likely to offer or receive bribes, and they are also less likely to believe that one can report corruption without retaliation. According to the study, since women are less likely to engage in bribery, it has been recommended that the representation of women in positions of power be increased.
Inspired by the story of bribery which involved an innocent victim and a policeman in 2019, young women in Rwanda developed an anti-corruption app. The trio who are students from Rwanda – Monica Kirabo, Angela Izi Nkusi, and Odile Abimana, developed an app to help fight corruption. “When we heard about that kind of injustice, there was a need to have a system that holds such people accountable,” Kirabo told The New Times.
The mobile app, Anti-Corruption App (ACAP) allows individuals an easy access and ability to report bribery and other forms of corruption on the local level. The ACAP also allows local officials to review the reports from the app, and thus take the appropriate measures. Izi Nkusi, one of the young developers, said their idea was hitched on enabling their fellow citizens access justice.
On July 31, 2021, the Moroccan Parliament adopted a reform that formed a big step towards helping close the country’s gender gap in leadership positions. It involved a new amended law on public limited companies to promote balanced representation of women and men in corporate governance bodies.
The proposal set mandatory quotas for women on the boards of publicly traded companies, with a target of at least 30 percent female representation by 2024, and 40 percent by 2027.
This exemplary effort was supported by the World Bank which encourages initiatives that promote greater economic inclusion of women and increased female representation in corporate governance bodies. This formed part of the key objectives of the World Bank’s $450million Digital and Financial Inclusion II budget support program to the Moroccan government in 2021.
