Combating border corruption in Africa [Travel]

The 30th Ordinary Session of The African Union Summit focus on “Winning the Fight against Corruption: A Sustainable Path to Africa’s Transformation”.

This topic actually picked my interest because the challenge is also present in the world of travel and tourism.
Think of intra-tourism in Africa, the constraints of traveling from one country to another. Indeed African border crossings are not for the faint hearted as they’re almost always disorganized.

If you’re ignorant of the procedure or the requirements to get to the other country , it’s all the more difficult as you risk been extorted by hooligans or touts or even uniform men.
I have had to cross certain countries by road in West Africa even with a press card and other required documents, I’m still been asked to pay some money with no justification.
Most travelers go through the same thing , failure to do so , means your time is being wasted or forced to go back.
A traveler without proper documents would easily cross the regions in question with no hassle than someone up to date with documents required.

Given to the fact that a large majority of Africans , be it traders, tourists, or even goods travel by road than other means because of costs, the issue of corruption has to be seriously looked into. A nation cannot be accountable , if you can’t tell the number of things that goes in or out of a country .

I saw an interesting documentary on youtube by vice , where Thomas Morton traveled with some truck drivers from Lagos to Accra.
Here once again corruption comes to play, West African truck drivers spend days, weeks, and sometimes months dealing with corrupt border officials and illegal checkpoints on harrowing delivery trips that should take just a few hours.
the problem is deeply rooted , until the structural system is fixed , the problem will always surface , sensitization also play a role here , right from the early stage .
I guess if from an early stage kids are being made to see that corruption – bribery as a worm that eats deep into the fabric of a nation ; then It will be difficult for such child to part from such ideology.

The socioeconomic situation force many into these acts . Some officials salaries might be due for several months, so it’s easy to yield to temptation. For some it’s a question of habits. Not to ignore the fact Unemployment rate is pretty high.