AFRICA HAS A SPECIAL DUTY TO FIGHT CORRUPTION AND SHOULD NOT WAIT FOR THE WEST OR DEVELOPMENT PARTNERS TO DO THE BATTLE FOR IT, DONALD KABERUKA, PRESIDENT OF THE AFRICAN DEVELOPMENT BANK GROUP, SAID IN ABUJA SATURDAY, ACCORDING TO DPA. HE TOLD A NEWS CONFERENCE AHEAD OF A TWO-DAY MEETING ON "FINANCING FOR DEVELOPMENT", DUE TO BEGIN IN ABUJA ON SUNDAY, THAT THERE WERE SIGNS THAT AFRICANS THEMSELVES WERE BECOMING LESS TOLERANT OF CORRUPTION. "MANY COUNTRIES IN AFRICA ARE DESIROUS OF FIGHTING CORRUPTION TO A STANDSTILL, BUT LACK EFFICIENT JUSTICE SYSTEMS AND OTHER NECESSARY INSTITUTIONS TO WAGE THE WAR AGAINST CORRUPTION," HE SAID. HE SAID THE CONFERENCE IN ABUJA WAS CONVENED BY NIGERIA'S PRESIDENT OLUSEGUN OBASANJO IN PARTNERSHIP WITH THE BANK AND THE UN ECONOMIC COMMISSION FOR AFRICA TO ASSESSING THE LEVEL OF COMMITMENT FROM AFRICA AND ITS DEVELOPMENT PARTNERS TO ATTAINING THE MILLENNIUM DEVELOPMENT GOALS. THE GOALS SET FOR AFRICA BY THE UN IN 2000 WITH A TARGET DATE OF 2015, ARE THE REDUCTION OF POVERTY AND HUNGER, THE ACHIEVEMENT OF UNIVERSAL PRIMARY EDUCATION, PROMOTION OF GENDER EQUALITY, THE EMPOWERMENT OF WOMEN AND REDUCTION OF CHILD MORTALITY. OTHERS ARE IMPROVEMENT OF MATERNAL HEALTH, COMBATING HIV/AIDS, MALARIA AND OTHER DISEASES, ENSURING ENVIRONMENTAL SUSTAINABILITY AND DEVELOPING A GLOBAL PARTNERSHIP FOR DEVELOPMENT.
