Salutations
Good morning, ladies and gentlemen. I take this opportunity to welcome you all to yet another important event on the annual calendar of TI-Z. We have gathered here today to witness the launch of the 2023 Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI), which is taking place simultaneously across the global Transparency International movement, under the theme “Corruption and Injustice”.
Many of you in this room will know that the CPI is Transparency International’s flagship measuring index for corruption within the public sector at global, regional and national levels. It therefore goes without saying that the CPI launch is often preceded by high levels of anticipation to see whether the perception of public sector corruption has improved, stayed the same or worsened in the preceding year
As TI-Z, we are therefore excited to have you all joining us for this launch, and it is our hope that the results that will be revealed today will give all of us an indication of where we need to target our various anti-corruption and good governance interventions. For Zambia in particular, the CPI has been a good indicator of both the efficacy and challenges of different anti-corruption interventions, and has in all instances served to validate the results of a local survey that TI-Z conducts every two years in conjunction with the Anti-Corruption Commission, which is the Zambia Bribe Payers Index. Given that the latest ZBPI was launched only last year, we are keen to see how some elements of it will relate to the CPI results that will be revealed in today’s launch.
Ladies and gentlemen, TI-Z is cognisant of the fact that with every CPI launch, the results are received differently by different stakeholders. In the past, we have seen governments disputing the results, interpreting them in their own way, or indeed praising them, depending on what they show. We have also seen other stakeholders question the CPI methodology, in a bid to justify why they do not agree with the results. To address some of these concerns ahead of this launch, TI-Z trained journalists from both private and public media in order to familiarise them with the CPI methodology as well as the interpretation of its results. It is our hope that this training has given our colleagues in the media the ability to engage more authoritatively on the subject, and to have a better discourse with stakeholders who will inevitably give various reactions to the results being revealed today.
As I conclude, allow me to reiterate TI-Z’s hope that the 2023 CPI results will serve as a point of reflection for us all, and allow us to recalibrate our anti-corruption interventions towards more tangible and measurable outcomes.
With these few words, it is now my honour 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 2023 Corruption Perception Index in Zambia.
I thank you for your attention, and May God Bless us all.
