Help us fight corruption, 'bigmen syndrome' - ACET Board Chair tells politicians

Board Chairman of the African Center for Economic Transformation, Tito Mboweni has challenged political leaders to step forward to aid strongly in the fight against the corruption canker that has beleaguered the country.

Giving the opening remarks at African Transformation Forum 2018 organised by his outfit at the Movenpick Hotel in Accra he admonished politicians to address the issue of mobilization of resources for Africa’s development which is usually squandered by some of their colleagues.

Mr. Mboweni stressed that there was the need for Africans to think of ways to break the long term status quo of the continent being referred to as developing.

“…for how long will Africa be on the path of development. Is it a permanent state that African finds itself in. Are we going to be classified as developing forever?

But of course we cannot leapfrog and see to development when we still have political institutions and personnel who are an impediment to africa’s development.” He stated

He added that: “those of you who are political leaders who are here, I hope you’re going to hear us loud and clear, that we want to collaborate with you in moving forward. Help us to fight corruption, help us to fight the ‘bigmen syndrome’. Help us to ensure that resources mobilized for Africa’s development goes into Africa’s development, help us to stop our subservience to people who call us shitholes. Help us to regain our dignity”.

The 2018 African Transformation Forum (ATF2018) in Accra, Ghana, is a unique, African-driven event that will bring together leading experts and practitioners to share perspectives on how to accelerate job growth, boost investment and implement transformational policies.

One of the primary objectives of ATF2018 is to move from the learning stage to implementation. Country action plans will be highlighted, progress and challenges discussed, and next steps defined. For other Chapters identified in 2016 – financial inclusion, regional integration and trade, and power – ATF2018 will be an opportunity to assess needed actions.

ATF2018 will not be a series of sessions to revisit the general challenges and goals of economic transformation. Africa has moved beyond that. Rather, it offers an opportunity to hold substantive discussions around key issues that already are well-researched and, in some cases, around action plans for implementation at the country level.



The first ATF in Kigali, hosted by ACET and the Government of Rwanda in March 2016, drew some 300 participants from across Africa and beyond. It concluded with the establishment of the Pan-African Coalition for Transformation (PACT), a peer learning platform for governments, policymakers, policy analysts and other stakeholders to collaborate in support of economic transformation. PACT is composed of a network of Chapters, each organized around a single issue that drives economic transformation.

Significant progress has been made in the time since.

PACT has three active Chapters – manufacturing, extractives, and resource mobilization and management – and others in advanced development are agriculture and youth employment and skills.