TI-Z STATEMENT ON 2021 CPI LAUNCH
Read by Dr. Chivunda Kaumba, TI-Z Board Member, on behalf of TI-Z
Chapter President Mr. Sampa Kalungu

The 2021 Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI) reveals that the fight against corruption has
stagnated worldwide at a time when human rights and democracy are also under attack.
This is no coincidence. Corruption enables human rights abuses. Conversely,
ensuring basic rights and freedoms means there is less space for corruption to go
unchallenged. Transparency International’s research shows a strong correlation between
anti-corruption and respect for human rights, and that very few countries have managed
to establish effective control of corruption without also respecting human rights.
The 2021 CPI shows that, out of the 180 countries assessed, 154 countries, representing
86%, have either declined or made no significant progress in tackling corruption in the
last decade, while 27 countries are at historic lows in their scores. Zambia is one of these
countries. Zambia’s CPI score has steadily declined from 38/100 in 2016 to 33/100 in

  1. The 2021 CPI results have revealed that the score and rank have been maintained
    at 33/100 and 117/180 respectively, as compared to 2020.
    A more detailed analysis of the nine (9) underlying data sources, which inform the CPI
    score for Zambia, indicates that Zambia’s score would have likely declined, if not for the
    change of regime. The only data source that showed an improvement is called the
    Varieties of Democracy Project, and measures the pervasive nature of political corruption
    in the three arms of government. The data suggests that political corruption was likely
    disrupted following a change of the political players due to a change of
    2
    government. This does not necessarily mean that the new government has implemented
    any measures that have prevented the score from getting worse. Rather, the mere
    change of political players necessitated by the change of government presented a
    disruption in the political system, and that was enough to influence a significant positive
    score on that particular data source. The maintained score therefore presents an
    opportunity for the new regime to begin turning the tide and implement anti-corruption
    measures that are going to improve the corruption situation in Zambia. This is possible
    as evidenced by Malawi where the CPI score increased by 5 points in 2021 as compared
    to 2020.
    Transparency International Zambia therefore calls upon the Zambian Government to
    uphold human rights and the rights needed to hold duty bearers to account by rolling back
    any restrictions on freedom of expression, association and assembly introduced by the
    previous regime. This includes reforming the Public Order Act and amending the
    Constitution. Government and Law Enforcement Agencies should also partner with global
    and regional financial and anti-corruption agencies in order to close legal loopholes,
    regulate professional enablers of financial crimes and ensure that the corrupt and their
    accomplices do not escape justice.
    Tangible steps to restore and strengthen institutional checks on those holding power must
    also be taken by guaranteeing the independence of public investigative and oversight
    bodies such as the Anti-Corruption Commission and Office of the Auditor General. As the
    Government scales up its fight against the COVID-19 pandemic, there is also need to
    uphold the right to information and introduce anti-corruption safeguards in public
    procurement in order to maximize transparency, protect public resources and save lives.
    TI-Z believes that putting all these measures in place will go a long way in addressing the
    corruption problem in Zambia, and we stand ready to work with all stakeholders in
    achieving that goal.
    IT IS NOW MY HONOUR TO DECLARE THE 2021 CPI REPORT FOR ZAMBIA
    OFFICIALLY LAUNCHED!
About the author

Leave a Reply