Transparency International Zambia (TI-Z) is a local chapter of the global movement – Transparency International. It is dedicated to the fight against corruption and the promotion of good governance. TI-Z is a non-profit making non- governmental organization with a registered office in Lusaka and has been in existence since June 2000.
CORRUPTION IN ZAMBIA
Corruption is often defined as one of the main obstacles to the sustainable development of Zambia. According to Transparency International’s Corruption Perceptions Index, the world’s leading index for public sector corruption, Zambia consistently ranks well-below the global average (43) and other countries in the region (e.g., Botswana, South Africa, Rwanda, Tanzania). The Zambia Bribe Payers’ Index, jointly realized by ACC and TI-Z every two years, reveals that bribery remains endemic to Zambia’s public sector. Public procurement officials and politically exposed persons remain the most common perpetrators of corruption.
One person out of ten pays a bribe to access a service; and over 62% of people, when solicited to pay a bribe at a public institution, end up paying. Corrupt practices are unfortunately spread across institutions, and while the public institutions with the highest prevalence of bribe-paying have recently experienced signs of improvement, others have seen a rise in corruption.
Nevertheless, in recent years, Zambia has begun to witness a shift in trend, albeit limited. Both the Afrobarometer 2022 and the Zambia Bribe Payers’ Index 2022 show that perceptions of corruption have reduced compared to 2019 or 2020; similarly, in the 2023 Corruption Perceptions Index, for the first time in 10 years Zambia has improved its score: experts and businesspeople experienced less corruption than in previous years.
However, it is still too early to state that corruption is reducing. There is still widespread fear for reporting corruption, and corruption remains prevalent among many institutions and public services.
Our information repository contains research papers, policy briefs, reports, press statements and laws
Subscribe to our newsletter. We release a newsletter every week. Keep up to date by with our work by subscribing to our newsletter.
Corruption is experienced on a daily basis by many people in Zambia and has devastating effects on their lives. However, we rarely talk about it.
The prevalence of corruption and silence around it make corruption feel like an inevitable part of our daily lives. But it does not have to be this way together, we have the power to stop corruption. We are here to give this a voice.
Doing this together, we can kick-start the change. It might not be immediate, but it will start a movement.
Get detailed information about specialized fields and projects by visiting our information portals.
The aim of this portal is to expose every-day corruption in Zambia
Elections results and information about politics in Zambia
Information about land ownership, use, and related issues to the public
Tracking COVID-19 donations, utilisations and vaccine distribution
An online portal for all Zambians who want to defend our environment.
