Title: Preventing fraud and mismanagement of public funds in Africa: a role for indigenous knowledge in Nigeria

Authors: Olawale R. Olaopa

Addresses: Department of Economics, College of Business Administration, Imam Abdulrahman Bin Faisal University, P.O. Box 1982, Dammam 31441, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

Abstract: In Africa, the processes of democratic consolidation are endangered in spite of various administrative and financial reforms having been implemented to reinforce fiscal consolidation and strengthen governance in the public sector. This then requires investigating the efficacy of these ingenuities in situations where the policy-makers wield considerable political and economic power. It means looking at the processes of reforming public financial management by looking at local people's traditions and using their indigenous knowledge (IK). This paper, using qualitative data and contents analysis, illustrates how public funds can be insulated from mismanagement using IK. Findings show that the use of African IK and resources depicted by oath taking, swearing/reverence to deities is efficacious in reducing fraud and mismanagement of public funds. Thus, IK nurtures and enhances societal ethical and moral standards and values while ensuring the promotion of acts of prudency, probity, accountability and transparency.

Keywords: fraud; indigenous knowledge; mismanagement; public funds; public sector; Nigeria.

DOI: 10.1504/IJLC.2022.121206

International Journal of Learning and Change, 2022 Vol.14 No.2, pp.121 - 136

Received: 30 Jan 2020
Accepted: 17 May 2020
Published online: 28 Feb 2022 *

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