Glenn Reynolds has an observation about Swaziland’s purchase of a $55 million jet . . . at the same time the UN is appealing for foreign aid to prevent famine in Swaziland. Here’s a handy chart of countries in Africa currently experiencing “food insecurity” along with a brief highlight of corruption in each country. For the continent as a whole, estimates of money lost annually to corruption in Africa are typically in excess of US $100 billion.
|
Country
|
Corruption
|
Food Insecurity Problems
|
| Angola | US $1 billion in 2001 oil revenues “missing”(FAO appeals for $5.2 million aid) |
1.4 million people need “urgent assistance” (FAO) |
| Malawi | Corrupt government officials sold 160,000 tons of grain last Fall; $8 million in European Union aid diverted — EU demanded return of the money in July 2002 (FAO appeals for $1.6 million aid) |
168,000 families at risk (FAO) |
| Swaziland | $2 million aid diverted for down payment on $55 million presidential jet (FAO appeals for $1.4 million aid) |
21,000 families at risk (FAO) |
| Zambia | Ranked as one of the most corrupt countries in the world by Transparency International; hundreds of millions stolen in the 1990s (FAO appeals for $2.6 million aid) |
62,000 families at risk (FAO) |
| Zimbabwe | President orders seizure of white-owned farms, causing food crisis; millions $ US aid money missing (FAO appeals for $16 million aid) |
600,000 families at risk (FAO) |