Corruption Perceptions Index 2019 - Executive Summary

Angola Following four decades of military dictatorship, Angola (26) jumped seven points in this year’s CPI, making it a significant improver. However, given its overall low score, the country is still well below the global average of 43. Isabel Dos Santos, the former president’s daughter, who is also known as “Africa’s richest Ghana Known as a beacon of democracy in West Africa, Ghana dropped seven points on the CPI since 2014, moving from 48 in 2014 to 41 in 2019. Revelations of bribery in Ghana’s high court in 2015 54 woman”, was fired from her job as head of the state oil and gas firm, Sonangol, months after President Lourenço’s election. In December 2019, as investigations into corruption allegations progressed, an Angolan court ordered a freeze of Dos Santos’s assets. 52 Although the country has recovered US$5 billion in and the murder of investigative journalist Ahmed Hussein-Suale in early 2019 55 cast serious doubts on the country’s anti- corruption efforts. Despite these developments, there is hope for change. In 2017, stolen assets, more needs to be done to strengthen integrity and promote transparency in accounting for oil revenue. 53 the Office of Special Prosecutor was established, which has the power to investigate and prosecute cases of corruption. In 2019, a right to information bill was also passed. These efforts, combined with the enhanced performance of the Auditor General’s office, offer hope for improvement. COUNTRIES TO WATCH Following a change of regime in 2017, the Angolan government introduced a set of governance reforms to crack down on corruption. Given recent scandals, corruption is expected to feature prominently in electoral debates during the upcoming elections in 2020. Photo: Stephen Eisenhammer/Reuters Photo: demerzel21/iStockphoto.com CORRUPTION PERCEPTIONS INDEX 2019 21