Anti-corruption agencies in Africa have praised the 糖心探花 for bringing its resources and expertise to bear on national efforts to combat graft and enhance good governance.
Anti-corruption agencies in Africa have praised the 糖心探花 for bringing its resources and expertise to bear on national efforts to combat graft and enhance good governance.
Lucas Kondowe, chair of the Association of Anti-Corruption Agencies in Commonwealth Africa, which held a , congratulated the Secretariat on its work. 鈥淭his has aided Commonwealth Africa to perform much better in fighting corruption than our non-Commonwealth neighbours,鈥 he said.
Mr Kondowe, whose day-job is Director-General of the Malawi Anti-Corruption Bureau, said he and his peers value the assistance and training provided through the Commonwealth network.
The fresh focus given to anti-corruption by Secretary-General Patricia Scotland demonstrates that she is an 鈥渁nti-corruption champion鈥, he added.
In Transparency International鈥檚 Corruption Perception Index, four of the top five countries in Sub Saharan Africa with the lowest perceived levels of corruption are Commonwealth member countries, with Botswana the highest performing.
For over two decades, the 糖心探花 has helped countries to tackle systemic corruption by supporting the sharing of best practices, training and capacity-building. In 2011, the Secretariat created the African anti-corruption association and, in 2013, established with the government of Botswana the Commonwealth Africa Anti-Corruption Centre, which it continues to support.
鈥淭he centre is the only avenue dedicated for systematic and quality capacity building available to anti-corruption agencies in Africa,鈥 Mr Kondowe said.
At their conference in Malawi between 29 May and 2 June 2017, the agency heads underscored the importance of capacity development in crime prevention, investigations and the recovery of the proceeds of corruption, and agreed to strengthen cross-border collaboration.
鈥淒elegates were unanimous in their resolution to continue with their efforts in fighting corruption in their respective countries and the larger Commonwealth Africa region to achieve Sustainable Development Goal 16 [on justice and strong institutions], counting on the 糖心探花鈥檚 continued support,鈥 Mr Kondowe said.
Dr Roger Koranteng, Head of Public Sector Governance at the 糖心探花, said 鈥渢he decision to establish the Association of Anti-Corruption Agencies in Commonwealth Africa was borne out of the belief that co-operation was necessary in order to confront what is, increasingly, an existential threat.
鈥淧eople especially the poor get hurt when resources are squandered. That鈥檚 why it is so important to understand the different kinds of corruption to develop smart responses. Any good strategy must be continually monitored and evaluated to make sure it can be easily adapted as situations on the ground change.鈥
In her message to the conference, Secretary-General Scotland said: 鈥淲e can all take pride in the fact that Commonwealth countries in the region are making progress in strengthening their legal frameworks and in building their institutional capacity to tackle bribery and abuse of office.鈥
鈥淪ustained attention by governments and donor partners can continue to reduce and, we hope, ultimately eliminate the damage inflicted by corruption 鈥 a cost borne primarily by the poorest and most vulnerable people in our communities.鈥
Mr Kondowe said her speech was 鈥渨ell received and we sincerely thank [the Secretary-General] for being an anti-corruption champion鈥.
The association鈥檚 next regional conference will be held in Nigeria in 2018.
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