Which is the most corrupt country in West Africa?

The most corrupt country in West Africa for the year 2018 also happens to be one of the poorest states in the sub-region. It is also among the ten nations most affected by corruption on the African continent. The total population of this nation in question does not exceed 2 million people. Member of the Franc Cfa zone, this State of the sub-region is one of the largest producers of cashew nuts in the world.

What is the most corrupt country in West Africa? To this question, many would wrongly answer that it is Nigeria, the Republic of Guinea or Liberia. If the level of corruption seems very high in these three ECOWAS states, the record is however held by another country, if we trust the 2018 report of the NGO Transparency International on the level of corruption in the world. . According to the international body, Africa remains one of the worst examples in the ranking of the most corrupt countries in the world.

Moreover, the state most ravaged by corruption in the world comes from the African continent, but not from the West African sub-region. This year, the most corrupt country in West Africa remains Guinea-Bissau. The small republic of 1.7 million inhabitants has one of the lowest corruption perception indices in the world this year. According to the Transparency International report, the CPI (Corruption Perception Index) of Guinea-Bissau is 17.

The lower the index, the more alarming the level of corruption. According to the poverty measurement index, namely GDP per capita, Guinea-Bissau is also among the poorest countries in West Africa this year. However, this nation is one of the largest exporters of cashew nuts in the world. Cashew nuts represent around 60% of Guinea-Bissau’s income. With an estimated annual production of 120,000 tonnes, the country earns just over $60 million in revenue each year from cashews.

The natural resources available to Guinea-Bissau are however numerous: Bauxite as in Guinea, phosphate without forgetting oil. But this small state, unfortunately, remains far in the race for development, due to the high level of corruption in the highest echelons of the country. The most corrupt country in West Africa occupies exactly fifth place in the top 10 most corrupt African states in 2018.

Focus on the classification of corruption in West Africa

With a CPI of 17, Guinea-Bissau is the state most affected by corruption in the West African sub-region. The Republic of Guinea Conakry and Nigeria follow respectively in this ranking with a Corruption Index of 27.

Next come Sierra Leone and The Gambia, each with a CPI of 30. Mali and Liberia respectively occupy 6th and 7th places in the sub-region with identical Corruption Perception Indexes (CPI 31 ).

Togo comes in eighth position with a CPI which stands at 32 while Côte d’Ivoire and Niger bring up the rear in the ranking of the most corrupt countries in the West African sub-region with each a CPI which stands at 33.