Benin report - Institut Africain de la Gouvernance

CHAPTER SEVEN: CROSSCUTTING ISSUES__________________________________________________________________________C H A P T E R S E V E N7. CROSSCUTTING ISSUES904. According to the APRM questionnaire, crosscutting issues are issues of ageneral nature which, even though they may be examined in a particularthematic area, can also be pertinent to other thematic areas. Crosscutting issuestherefore require study from a holistic viewpoint in APRM reviews. In thisreport, the crosscutting issues include corruption; decentralisation and the roleof traditional authorities; gender mainstreaming and equality; youth training,development and integration; poverty and access to resources; the informalsector; reform and modernisation of the state; and citizenship and lack of legalsecurity under the rule of law – all common issues affecting all governanceareas in Benin.7.1 Corruption905. At the end of the review of the political, economic and social situation ofBenin, there was general agreement that corruption, like a many-headed hydra,has spread its tentacles in all directions and is plaguing all the sectors ofgovernance (public sector, private sector and civil society). Corruption hasbecome a culture and the instrument of a mode of governance. SinceDecember 1990, corruption has been classified by the constitution as one ofthe offences that are punishable under the law. However, the very law meantto facilitate the fight against illicit enrichment and corruption has not yet beenadopted and established. Many anti-corruption measures have been taken andinstruments put in place, but they have failed to deliver. There is talk of the„distribution habits‟ of public authorities who are not truly committed totackling the scourge head-on.906. While the new authorities have affirmed the political will to fight the scourgeof corruption, there is still a lingering sentiment of doubt among stakeholderswith regard to government‟s ability to root out this canker from Beninesesociety. The adverse effects of corruption on the four dimensions ofgovernance examined in this report are immense.907. This is why, aware that corruption has reached unprecedented levels, the APRPanel of Eminent Persons advocates that every aspect of the scourge should betackled through the following measures:Those at the helm of affairs and, indeed, at all levels of government, mustset an example to all. In this regard, the systematic punishment of all actsthat violate the provisions of basic law and the requirements of properpublic management and accounting, from the top right down to the lowerechelons of government, must become and remain the cardinal rule inpublic management and administration.288