From Paper to Practice: Enhancing Public Sector Accountability in Africa through Reform of Wealth Declaration Systems

Wealth declaration by public officials has been globally embraced as an accountability tool in public service. The United Nations Convention Against Corruption (UNCAC) requires member states to establish structures and frameworks for assets disclosure by public officials. This is an accountability mechanism geared towards enhancing good governance and the fight against corruption across the continent and within the African states. Globally, African countries have maintained a conspicuous lead in the ratification of UNCAC and subsequent establishment of wealth declaration systems. Despite continued implementation of these frameworks in the pursuit of public sector accountability, corruption and low levels accountability in the public sector remain a dominant challenge in most African countries. This raises the question of the effectiveness of the wealth declaration systems including their design and mode of application. This paper establishes why wealth declaration systems have largely failed in Africa and recommends reform measures to enhance their accountability objectives, drawing best practice from jurisdictions that have registered notable success in assets disclosures.