Corruption can scare off investors � Mokalake
Chakalisa Dube | Thursday September 18, 2014 11:05
Speaking at a dinner launch of the ministry’s policy statement on corruption prevention at Thapama Lodge on Monday, Mokalake said, “The country requires an injection of investment for further economic growth and development, therefore high levels of corruption would scare away prospective investors.
Corruption erodes economic and social growth, including investor confidence therefore it should not be tolerated at all”.
Mokalake added that it is common that foreign investors demand certain conditions to be in place prior to entering into any agreement. “Some of these conditions include good governance and proven commitment to combating corruption,” he said.
Mokalake noted that corruption has become complex worldwide, and Botswana is not spared.
The minister said the country, therefore, needed to continuously identify and counter sophisticated corruption activities in order to win the confidence of prospective investors.
Botswana is considered to be the least corrupt nation in the African region, a continent known for corruption and poor business conditions.
In 2013 for the 18th year running, Transparency International (TI) cited Botswana as the least corrupt country in Africa, as well as among the least corrupt countries in the world in the organisation’s Corruption Perception Index (CPI) report. The country is ranked 30 out of 177 countries in the world according to the 2013 survey.
Botswana’s standing thus placed it in the top 17% of all surveyed nations, as well as above almost two thirds of the nations of Europe.
TI is the leading international non-governmental organisation devoted to fighting corruption worldwide.
Its annual CPI index reflects the perceptions of business people, academics and risk analysts, both resident and non-resident. It is, moreover, a composite index, drawing on a range of additional expert and business surveys.
The deputy director in the Directorate on Corruption and Economic Crime (DCEC), Botlhale Makgekgenene, assured that they would fight any semblance of corruption to ensure that Botswana maintains the status as an investor’s choice.