Combating Corruption in Sub-Saharan Africa: Corruption Perceptions of Public Administration University Students in Eritrea

This article presents an analysis of data from a corruption perception survey administered to 90 Public Administration University of Asmara students in the month of June 2018. Respondents were asked for their opinions regarding the pervasiveness, causes, and potential remedies for corruption in Eritrea. The majority of the surveyed university students believe corruption in Eritrea is a serious problem that needs to be addressed by its leaders. The findings clearly indicate that the respondents believe the primary drivers of corruption in the Eritrean public sector include lack of adequate public sector pay, lack of meritocratic personnel policies, the self-serving behavior of public officials and lack of accountable/transparent political process. An overwhelming majority of the respondents recommended the urgent design and implementation of anti-corruption initiatives in Eritrea focusing on civil service reforms (improved public sector pay, heavy penalties and meritocratic personnel policies), accountability reforms (anti-corruption commission, anti-corruption legislation and the Auditor-General office) and political reforms (respect for rule of law, visible leadership commitment and legislative oversight).