Corruption: Continued vigilance is the only hope
An earlier recent report about China giving secret scholarships to the children of top officials in Namibia is yet another indication why Africans must remain vigilant, keeping a watchful eye for signs of corruption involving foreign governments and theirs. China has moved quickly in 
recent years to build relationships with countries in Africa. These relationships have included not only the sale of goods but the purchasing of rights to mineral resources by China. Now, there is nothing necessarily wrong with this. But in too may of these types of cases we see corruption rear its ugly head because somewhere along the way someone decides it’s necessary or desirable to move forward.
In the Namibian scholarships case, China awarded secret scholarships for up to 5 years to children of the president, the inspector general of the Namibian police, the justice minister, the defense minister, whose agency buys weapons from China, and the home affairs and immigration minister, whose agency is responsible for approving residence and work permits for Chinese workers whose companies have won contracts to do work in Namibia. According to the New York Times, the disclosure of these scholarships has “unleashed a wave of fury from the nation’s civil society groups and youth organizations.”
Corruption is a huge problem in many countries in Africa. Indeed, in some African countries bribes are essentially factored into the cost of doing business. However this is no reason to relent, especially when new forms of corruption threaten to make Africa an even more corrupt place. Corruption involving other countries is concerning because it has to potential to subject citizens of one country to the will of the government of another without due process.
The revelation of these secret scholarships should serve as a reminder to African to keep a watchful eye on their government’s interaction with other countries, whether it’s China, Germany or America.
