Africa has been grappling with escalating criminality over the past two years since 2021, as highlighted in the recently released 2023 Global Organized Crime Index.
This comprehensive survey, conducted by the Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime, dubbed “Global Organized Crime Index – A Fractured World,” unveiled its findings on Wednesday.
The index ranks continents based on their scores for organized crime, with Africa securing the second-highest spot globally at 5.25 out of 10 points. Asia leads the pack with a score of 5.47, followed by the Americas at 5.20, Europe at 4.74, and Oceania at 3.23.
Africa’s score reflects an increase of 0.08 points since 2021, signaling a concerning surge in criminal activities across the continent. The report highlights that “levels of criminality are increasing worldwide while resilience measures are falling short of meeting the threat.”
To assess illicit markets and criminal actors, the Global Organized Crime Index employs a unique framework considering 15 criminal markets, the structure and influence of five criminal actor types, and the capacity of countries to resist organized crime across 12 resilience building blocks.
The top 10 African countries with the highest crime rates include:
- Democratic Republic of Congo (Ranked 5th globally).
- Nigeria (Ranked 6th globally).
- South Africa (Ranked 7th globally).
- Kenya (Ranked 16th globally).
- Libya (Ranked 18th globally).
- Central Republic of Africa (Ranked 23rd globally).
- Uganda (Ranked 29th globally).
- Sudan (Ranked 34th globally).
- South Sudan (Ranked 36th globally).
- Cameroon (Ranked 37th globally).
In terms of organized crime resilience, Africa ranks lowest among continents with a score of 3.85 out of 10 points, while Europe leads with a score of 6.27. Nevertheless, Africa’s resilience score improved slightly by 0.05 points compared to 2021.
The report identifies key indicators that contribute to Africa’s organized crime resilience, including “international cooperation” (5.03), “national policies and laws” (4.72), and “territorial integrity” (4.21). While enforcement may vary, African nations have generally implemented laws and policies to combat organized crime.
Regional dynamics within Africa reveal that East Africa experiences the highest overall criminality (5.88), followed by West Africa (5.44). North Africa (5.08), Central Africa (5.06), and Southern Africa (4.83) follow suit.
The report singles out East Africa as a hotspot for both criminal markets and criminal actors, partly attributed to prolonged conflicts that render the region vulnerable to organized crime threats.
Human trafficking remains the most pervasive criminal market in Africa, scoring 6.06 out of 10 points. The report correlates its prevalence with factors such as ongoing conflicts, economic vulnerabilities, and state-embedded actors facilitating trafficking activities.
Furthermore, the report notes a prevalence of financial crimes across Africa, including financial fraud, tax evasion, embezzlement, and misuse of public funds. It highlights the continent’s susceptibility to cyber-enabled financial fraud perpetrated by highly organized criminal syndicates.
Africa’s struggle against organized crime is a pressing concern, with the Global Organized Crime Index shedding light on the urgent need for enhanced countermeasures and international cooperation to address this growing threat.
