Broken Systems, Stolen Futures: Corruption, Weak Governance, and Accountability Failures in Africa's Sustainable Development Crisis

ABSTRACT Africa's vast wealth in people and resources contrasts starkly with persistent poverty, inequality, and ecological stress. This paradox of “abundance amidst deprivation” stems not from resource scarcity but from broken systems—corruption, weak governance, and accountability failures that undermine sustainable development. This study investigates how these institutional failures obstruct sustainability across 48 sub‐Saharan African (SSA) countries from 1996 to 2023. To capture these dynamics, the research applies advanced panel econometric estimators—Cross‐Sectionally Augmented Mean Group (CCEMG) and Augmented Mean Group (AMG), which are robust to cross‐sectional dependence (CD) and slope heterogeneity (SH), while the System Generalized Method of Moments (System GMM) addresses endogeneity and short‐run dynamics. Sustainability outcomes are assessed across the three United Nations pillars: economic (GDP per capita), environmental (CO 2 emissions per capita), and social (Gini index). The findings reveal that government effectiveness consistently strengthens all three pillars of sustainability, while anti‐corruption efforts exhibit delayed impacts due to institutional inertia. Human capital accumulation and structural transformation emerge as transformative drivers, reinforcing the importance of long‐term investments in education and diversification. Subgroup analysis around the 2015 SDG adoption further indicates that global frameworks have not translated into measurable institutional gains, underscoring the limits of international commitments without robust domestic reforms. Overall, the results affirm a central thesis: Africa's development crisis is not inevitable but constructed through systemic governance dysfunction. Reversing this trajectory requires integrity‐driven reforms that rebuild institutions, restore accountability, and reclaim futures stolen by corruption and weak governance.