❖ THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF TRANSPARENCY INTERNATIONAL ZAMBIA
❖ MEMBERS OF STAFF OF THE ANTI-CORRUPTION COMMISSION
❖ MEMBERS OF STAFF OF TRANSPARENCY INTERNATIONAL ZAMBIA.
❖ MEMBERS OF THE PRESS
❖ DISTINGUISHED GUESTS, LADIES AND GENTLEMEN,
I WISH TO WELCOME YOU ALL TO THIS LAUNCH OF THE 2022 ZAMBIA BRIBE
PAYERS INDEX (ZBPI) SURVEY.
AS YOU MAY BE AWARE, THE ANTI-CORRUPTION COMMISSION (ACC) AND
TRANSPARENCY INTERNATIONAL ZAMBIA (TI-Z) HAVE BEEN PARTNERING TO
CONDUCT THE ZAMBIA BRIBE PAYERS INDEX (ZBPI) SURVEY SINCE 2012. I WISH
TO TAKE THIS OPPORTUNITY TO THANK TI-Z FOR THE FIRM COMMITMENT THEY
HAVE SHOWN TOWARDS THIS COLLABORATION. INDEED, THE FIGHT AGAINST
CORRUPTION NEEDS COALITIONS SUCH AS THIS ONE.
THIS COMMISSION RECOGNISES THE CRITICAL ROLE RESEARCH PLAYS IN
EVIDENCE-BASED DECISIONS MAKING AND IN ANTI-CORRUPTION
PROGRAMMING. TO THIS END, THE COMMISSION STANDS READY TO
COLLABORATE WITH OTHER STAKEHOLDERS IN CONDUCTING MORE
RESEARCH THAT WILL GENERATE EMPIRICAL EVIDENCE TO BENEFIT ALL
SECTORS IN THE FIGHT AGAINST CORRUPTION.
THE ZAMBIA BRIBE PAYERS INDEX SURVEY IS THUS A CRITICAL TOOL TO THE
FIGHT AGAINST CORRUPTION IN ZAMBIA AS IT PROVIDES INFORMATION ON
CORRUPTION TRENDS SUCH AS:
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I. THE EXTENT TO WHICH MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC ARE ASKED FOR
BRIBES WHEN SEEKING SERVICES FROM SELECTED PUBLIC
INSTITUTIONS;
II. INDICATION OF POINTS OF SERVICE WHERE BRIBES ARE BEING
ASKED OR PAID;
III. WHO ASKS FOR THE BRIBE OR OFFERS THE BRIBE- IS IT THE
PUBLIC OFFICERS OR THE SERVICE SEEKERS; AND,
IV. THE VALUES OR SIZE OF THE BRIBES INVOLVED.
THE IMPORTANCE OF THE ZBPI TO THE COMMISSION AND OTHER ANTICORRUPTION STAKEHOLDERS IS THREE-FOLD:
FIRSTLY, IT HIGHLIGHTS THE PUBLIC INSTITUTIONS AND SPECIFIC SERVICES
THEREIN THAT ARE PRONE TO BRIBERY, HENCE PROVIDIG AN EVIDENCE BASE
FOR FORMULATION OF TARGETED ANTI-CORRUPTION INTERVENTIONS OR
PREVENTIVE MEASURES TO REMEDY INCIDENCE’S OF CORRUPTION TO THE
AFFECTED INSTITUTIONS.
SECONDLY, THE SURVEY IS USED TO ASSESS THE EFFECTIVENESS OF ANTICORRUPTION INTERVENTIONS APPLIED BY THESE PUBLIC INSTITUTIONS.
THESE MEASURES INCLUDE CUSTOMER SERVICE CHARTERS, CODES OF
ETHICS, E- SERVICES AND COMPLAINTS HANDLING MECHANISMS
IMPLEMENTED THROUGH THE INTEGRITY COMMITTEE PROGRAMME AS YOU
MAY BE AWARE, THE ZAMBIAN GOVERNMENT, THROUGH THE COMMISSION,
HAS SPEARHEADED THE ESTABLISHMENT OF INTERGRITY COMMITTTEES IN
VARIOUS PUBLIC INSTITUTIONS IN ORDER TO STREAMLINE AND
INSTITUTIONALISE THE FIGHT AGAINST CORRUPTION.
THE FINDINGS OF THE ZBPI THEREFORE HELP ASSESS THE PROGRESS MADE
IN IMPLEMENTATION OF THE INTEGRITY COMMITTEES PROGRAMME,
PARTICULARLY IN RELATION TO TACKLING BRIBERY.
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THIRDLY, THE ZBPI PROVIDES AN OPPORTUNITY FOR THE COMMISSION TO
DIRECTLY INTERACT WITH THE GENERAL PUBLIC AND GET THEIR
EXPERIENCES OR PERCEPTIONS OF THE FIGHT AGAINST CORRUPTION AND
RELATED GOVERNANCE ISSUES.
LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, THE SCOPE AND DESIGN OF THE ZBPI SURVEY HAS
BEEN ENHANCED OVER THE YEARS. YOU MAY WISH TO KNOW THAT THE
NUMBER OF SAMPLED PUBLIC INSTITUTIONS HAS INCREASED FROM SIXTEEN
(16) IN 2012 TO TWENTY- FOUR (24) IN THE 2022 SURVEY. ADDITIONALLY, THE
2019 ZBPI WENT FURTHER, BY PIN-POINTING THE EXACT SERVICES THAT WERE
PRONE TO BRIBERY WITHIN AN INSTITUTION, INSTEAD OF MERELY FOCUSING
ON WHICH INSITUTION ASKED FOR BRIBES MOST OR LEAST.
FURTHER, IN ORDER TO BE MORE RESPONSIVE TO THE PREVAILING
CORRUPTION ENVIRONMENT, EACH ZBPI SURVEY WILL NOW HAVE ITS OWN
THEMATIC FOCUS. TO THIS END, THE THEME FOR THE 2022 ZAMBIA BRIBE
PAYERS INDEX SURVEY WILL BE “PUBLIC PROCUREMENT’’. YOU WILL ALL
AGREE WITH ME THAT RECENTLY PUBLIC PROCUREMENT HAS RAISED A LOT
OF CONCERNS FROM VARIOUS STAKEHOLDERS.
ALLOW ME TO TAKE THIS OPPORTUNITY TO CALL UPON ALL STAKEHOLDER –
THE GENERAL PUBLIC, PUBLIC AND PRIVATE ENTITIES, AND THE CIVIL SOCIETY
ORGANISATIONS THAT HAVE BEEN SAMPLED IN THE 2022 ZPBI SURVEY, TO
FULLY SUPPORT THIS IMPORTANT EXERCISE BY COOPERATING WITH OUR
RESEARCH ASSISTANTS AS THEY GO AROUND THE COUNTRY COLLECTING
DATA IN 20 DISTRICTS. I URGE YOU ALL TO REMEMBER THAT THE INFORMATION
YOU WILL PROVIDE WILL BE TREATED WITH THE UTMOST CONFIDENTIALITY.
REMEMBER THAT THE FIGHT AGAINST CORRUPTION IS FOR ALL OF US.
THEREFORE, BY RESPONDING TO THE 2022 ZBPI QUESTIONNAIRES, YOU WILL
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HAVE CONTRIBUTED TOWARDS ESNURING THAT THERE IS ‘ZERO TOLERANCE
TO CORRUPTION’ IN ZAMBIA.
LADIES AND GENTLEMEN,
WITH THESE REMARKS, ALLOW ME TO THANK YOU ALL FOR TAKING TIME OFF
YOUR BUSY SCHEDULES TO BE PRESENT AT THIS LAUNCH OF THE 2022 ZBPI
SURVEY.
I THANK YOU ALL
