Full name: Promoting Anti-Corruption Partnership and Third-Party Monitoring of Public Resources through Capacity Building, Information Exchange and Dissemination
Full name: Promoting Anti-Corruption Partnership and Third-Party Monitoring of Public Resources through Capacity Building, Information Exchange and Dissemination
Challenges in the dissemination of anti-corruption evidence
Bribery is the prevalent type of corruption at public service delivery points and procurement processes. Over the years, citizens have consistently affirmed the prevalence of corruption in the public sector, while having challenges to clearly identify and articulate the types of corruption in the public sector and service delivery points where corruption occurs. This is attributed to inadequate dissemination of corruption evidence in a user-friendly way, which later hampers usefulness and utilization of anti-corruption evidence. Further, this hampers appreciation of anti-corruption evidence by target public institutions resulting in ineffective targeting of evidence in anti-corruption interventions in public institutions.
Weaknesses in anti-corruption interventions
Corruption in Zambia over the last decade clearly demonstrates worrying levels and require concerted, strategic and well-coordinated approaches toward engagement and sensitization. One of the major challenges highlighted by heads of all Law Enforcement Agencies (LEAs) in Zambia is the weakness in the coordination mechanism in the fight against corruption. They lament the lack of clear engagement procedures among LEAs, duplicity in their work and weak and unclear engagement mechanism with other key anti-corruption actors including CSOs.
The importance of decentralisation
Further, centralized public service delivery planning and implementation has confined power within a narrow elite and relegated citizens to the periphery, making them spectators of the development processes. Decentralization emerges as a core element to strengthen governance and service delivery and ensure broader participation in and ownership of public processes.
The project targets public institutions (such as the Anti-Corruption Commission, Ministries, local authorities, and CSO partners) to raise awareness about the negative impact of bribery and corruption on the public sector and the benefits of introducing integrity mechanisms, thus strengthening partnerships among anti-corruption actors.
It does so, first, through the dissemination of evidence-based research and publications, such as the Zambia Bribe Payers Index (ZBPI), which facilitates empirical measurement of bribery in selected public institutions in Zambia with a view of informing anti-corruption and integrity strengthening interventions.
Second, it strengthens anti-corruption partnerships and promotes engagement of stakeholders through high-level consultations and events, such as the Zambia Anti-Corruption Conference (ZACC).
Thirdly, it focuses on Third Party Monitoring (TPM) of Public Resource management in order facilitate citizens demand for transparency, accountability and effective management. This includes monitoring decentralisation policy implementation and Constituency Development Funds, as well as facilitating independent oversight on public resource management for evidence-based policy advocacy and engagements. TI-Z further supports citizens’ reports of suspected corruption and mal-administration and CSOs’ capacity on corruption reporting and anti-corruption collective action, while ensuring gender and social inclusion.