The heads of anti-corruption agencies across Africa will assemble in Malawi for a major Commonwealth conference at which countries will seek to bolster regional crime fighting efforts.
The heads of anti-corruption agencies across Africa will assemble in Malawi for a major Commonwealth conference at which countries will seek to bolster regional crime fighting efforts.
The meeting of the Association of Anti-Corruption Agencies in Commonwealth Africa is hosted by the country’s Anti-Corruption Bureau and convened by the Commonwealth Secretariat.
Commonwealth Secretary-General Patricia Scotland said, “This conference in Malawi provides an opportunity to celebrate some important successes in the fight against corruption in Africa.
“We 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.”
The Regional Conference for Heads of Anti-Corruption Agencies in Commonwealth Africa takes place from 29 May to 2 June 2017 under the theme ‘Collaborating National Action Against Corruption in Commonwealth Africa’.
In a statement, Mr Lucas Kondowe, Director-General of Malawi’s Anti-Corruption Bureau, said, “Corruption challenges and the resultant impact facing Commonwealth member states are similar and require a united effort. That's why this conference is important as it presents an opportunity to share successes and failures in this noble fight.”
Dr Roger Koranteng, Head of Public Sector Governance at the Commonwealth Secretariat said, “The heads of anti-corruption agencies meeting seeks to review our member countries anti-corruption efforts and strategies with the view to achieving SDG16. Any good strategy must be continually examined and evaluated to make sure it can be easily adapted.”
In Transparency International’s 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 highest performing.
Botswana hosts the Commonwealth Africa Anti-Corruption Centre, which was established in 2013 by the government, Commonwealth Secretariat and Association of Anti-Corruption Agencies in Commonwealth Africa.
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