It is my great honour to welcome you all to the launch of the 2022 Transparency International Corruption Perception Index, whose theme this year is “Corruption, Conflict and Security”.
As many of you here will know, the CPI is a critical research that is done at global level, and is currently the most widely used measure of public sector corruption across the globe. It goes without saying that measuring corruption is essential for the development of appropriate anti-corruption interventions and for Transparency International Zambia, the CPI together with the Zambia Bribe Payers Index Survey, is critical for both customizing our interventions and evaluating the progress made in fighting the vice.
In the recent past, the fight against corruption has been said to have been waged along political lines, with some sections of society going as far as calling it a “political witch-hunt”. Further, there are many stakeholders who believe that the fight against corruption under the UPND administration has been lacking coordination and a policy focus. Based on these concerns, there is great suspicion that the past one year has seen more talk than action, and more arrests than prosecutions, leading to the narrative that little to no progress has been made in fighting corruption in this period.
Thankfully, we do not need to rely on political opinions, suppositions or self-assessment when it comes to measuring progress in fighting corruption. The CPI is an authoritative measure that is based on a sound methodology and, in the case of Zambia, derived from 9 reputable data sources. The 2022 CPI results will therefore give us a good indication of the extent to which the current regime has made progress or not in fighting corruption. It will also show whether the concerted efforts among critical players in the anti-corruption fight, including TI-Z and the Anti-Corruption Commission, have contributed positively to changing the corruption narrative
Therefore, as the results are unveiled, I call upon you all to reflect and own them as either correction or indeed affirmation with respect to the work we have done during the past year. As we draw up plans on upscaling the fight against corruption in 2023, we will do well to follow the evidence-based guidance generated from the 2022 CPI results we are unveiling today.
It is now my honor and privilege, on behalf of the TI-Z Board and General Membership, and indeed on behalf of the TI-Z members of staff, to officially welcome you all to the launch of the 2022 Corruption Perception Index in Zambia.
Maurice K. Nyambe (Mr.)
TI-Z EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
