Blending the Legal and Institutional Framework With the Economy of Communion as a New Paradigm for the Fight Against Corruption in Developing African Countries: The Case of Cameroon

Abstract

Corruption in Africa is a colonial legacy. However, this cankerworm grew in strength in the early 1990s as a result of the economic crisis that affected the Cameroonian and most of African economies in the late 1980s, stretching to the mid 1990s. As a result of this economic crisis, the currencies of most African States were devaluated and the salaries of workers were slashed. Extreme poverty then crept into the lives of these workers as they could barely meet up with their daily needs. To ameliorate these poor living standards, most workers resolved to corrupt practices and so corruption grew in strength and in might. African countries were propelled to the top of corruption rankings by corruption watchdog Transparency International. From thence, African governments have been relentless in their efforts to fight against corruption. This paper therefore carries out a critical analysis of the laws and institutions put in place for the fight against corruption in Africa with the case study being Cameroon. It equally assesses the extent of their success and the reasons for their failure. Above all it proposes a new paradigm for the fight against corruption in the developing countries of Africa which is the Economy of Communion.