EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
The 2023 Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI), released by Transparency
International, under the theme “corruption and injustice”, reveals that most
countries have made little to no progress in tackling public sector corruption in
more than a decade. The global trend of weakening justice systems is reducing
accountability for public officials, which allows corruption to thrive. This year’s
CPI shows mixed results in Africa, with significant improvements in a few
countries. However, most African Countries showed stagnation, thereby
maintaining the region’s consistently poor performance at a regional average of
33/100.
For the very first time, in a decade, Zambia has improved its CPI Score. The CPI
Score for Zambia has improved from 33/100 in 2022 to 37/100 in 2023, and
consequently improving the Rank by 18 places, from 116/180 Countries in 2022
to 98/180 Countries in 2023. This improved CPI Score has been attributed to the
establishment of the Economic and Financial Crimes Court; the proliferation of
Integrity mechanisms such as Integrity Committees, gift policies and service
charters; the reduction in the risk of bribery within the business environment;
and the reduction in political corruption due to the elevation of the fight against
corruption under the UPND Administration
It is however important to note that the 4-point improvement in the CPI Score
for Zambia, though unprecedented, does not mean that the prevalence of
corruption has reduced to zero. Corruption continues to be endemic in Zambia,
as the country remains an under performer in the sub-region. Countries such as
Tanzania (40), South Africa (41), Namibia (49), Rwanda (53) and Botswana (59)
have all performed better than Zambia in 2023. Zambia should therefore
continue on this path of progress by improving the legal, policy and institutional
framework; strengthening governance institutions; and implementing corruption
prevention measures.
