Query: Zambia doesn’t have a proper policy with regard to the fight against corruption as it is undergoing review. How has this continued to affect progress in the fight against corruption and how can this be addressed? Does this have any impact on the operations of the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC)?
Transparency International Zambia (TI-Z) is aware that the National Anti-Corruption Policy (NACP) is currently under review and we have in fact been part of the team of stakeholders that are contributing to this process, which is being coordinated by the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC). The importance of finalizing the review process cannot be overemphasized as the policy will provide the strategic direction that will underpin the fight against corruption. For a long time now, TI-Z has been concerned with the apparent lack of political will on the part of the government to fight corruption, as evidenced by some of the statements that have been made by senior government officials such as the Chief Government Spokesperson, the Lusaka Provincial Minister and most recently even the President himself. We can only speculate that perhaps such statements are a reflection of the glaring gap that exists with the continued non-finalisation of the review of the NACP, resulting into the lack of a coordinated policy response to aid the fight against corruption.
In terms of it affecting the operations of the ACC, TI-Z is of the view that the impact may not be so much as existing legal provisions such as the Anti-Corruption Act No. 3 of 2012 and the Public Finance Management Act No. 1 of 2018 among others gives the Commission enough leeway to execute its mandate. However, the finalization of the NACP is an important aspect of the fight against corruption and TI-Z urges the government to expedite this process in order to strengthen the fight against corruption.
Maurice K. Nyambe
TI-Z Executive Director
