Somalia is perceived as the most corrupt among 47 countries on the continent that were surveyed by graft watchdog, Transparency International.
The TI 2008 Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI) launched on Tuesday in Nairobi highlights the fatal link between poverty, failed institutions and graft.
But other notable backsliders in the 2008 CPI indicate that the strength of oversight mechanisms is also at risk among the wealthiest.
"While corruption is indeed one of the most formidable challenges to good governance, development and poverty reduction in Somalia, the vast majority of the people are victims of corruption," the TI-Kenya told a news conference in Nairobi.
In East Africa, Tanzania fairs relatively well as the 32nd most corrupt country with a CPI score of 3.0 while Uganda is listed as the 20th most corrupt state in Sub Saharan Africa at a score of 2.6.
With most African countries scoring far way below average, it is an indication that corruption and lack of transparency are still a challenge in the developing continent.
The high corruption indexes are also hampering African countries from achieving the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).
"The fact that corruption is perceived to remain pervasive in many countries across the region indicates that it remains a serious threat for nations facing dire poverty stands to undermine chances of achieving any of the MDGs," the report said.
"In the poorest countries, corruption levels can mean the difference between life and death, when money for hospitals or clean water is in play," said Huguette Labelle, Chair of Transparency International.
"The continuing high levels of corruption and poverty plaguing many of the world's societies amount to an ongoing humanitarian disaster and cannot be tolerated. But even in more privileged countries, with enforcement disturbingly uneven, a tougher approach to tackling corruption is needed."
Guinea, Sudan and Chad shared the score of the countries perceived as the second most corrupt nations while Botswana, Mauritius and Cape Verde respectively are perceived as least corrupt, according to the 2008 Corruption Perception Index.
The report rankled Kenya which is the East Africa's biggest economy as the most corruption nation in the region.
The CPI shows that Kenya was the 16th most corrupt country out of 47 nations in Sub-Saharan Africa with a score of 2.1. Botswana,Mauritius and Cape Verde remained the least corrupt countries having scored above the mid point of 5.
South Africa is also below average with a score of 4.9 (the lower the CPI score, the more corrupt a nation is perceived).
The report however shows that Benin, Mauritius and Nigeria havesignificantly reduced corruption while Burundi and Somalia have worsened compared to last year.
Africa remained poor because corruption has been seen as the major setback to alleviating poverty since the scarce funds and resources available are lost to few individuals.
The poor results also showed that most African countries are unlikely to meet the 2005 Paris Declaration deadline of making aidmore effective by 2010.
"The CPI scores of most African countries indicate that progress in meeting the 2010 deadline for full implementation of the declaration is lagging dangerously," the report said.
The poor ratings also showed that most Africans may not access basic services such as health and education. The report indicated that developed countries have high scores showing their determination to fight corruption.
Denmark, New Zealand, Sweden, Singapore, Finland and Switzerland were rated as the least corrupt countries respectivelywith a CPI score of above 9.
The United States of America has a CPI score of 7.3; The UnitedKingdom has a score of 7.7 while Germany stands at 7.9 and China scoring 3.6.
Source: Xinhua
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