Transparency International Zambia (TIZ) is a member of Transparency International (TI),an international civil society movement with an exclusive focus on corruption.
TIZ has, with a view of streamlining its operations, set up the Public Finance Management and Utilisation Programme. In general, the focus of the programme is to draw attention to the rampant misuse of public finances in Zambia . This is an area with a perceived problem of lack of effective and efficient regulatory and control mechanisms in the management of public finances.
There is a general recognition that one of the ways through which resources are lost is through government procurement of goods and services. Indeed, government is the major buyer of goods and services and thus its systems need to be transparent, accountable, and with sufficient monitoring mechanisms otherwise there would be unjustified distortions in the socio-economic systems of the entire country. There is also need for professionalism, a fair appeal process and imposition of sanctions to cushion the system from possible abuse. TIZ, therefore, is undertaking an initiative that seeks to identify and highlight where and how, leakages in the administration of public finances occur as well as to mobilize support for calls for necessary reforms and improvements in the system.
The Zambian Government has signed various conventions, protocols and/or treaties aimed at combating corruption. Apart from the respective treaties, Zambia has an array of legal provisions that aid public officers in decisionmaking pertaining to public finance management. Some of these legal provisions specifically relate to procurement procedures.
TI ranks Zambia as the eleventh most corrupt country in the world according to the 2003 corruption perceptions index ratings . Therefore, the country's image in terms of its integrity profile is very low. It is with this background that any effort at tackling corruption in its various manifestations becomes important in restoring the country's image.
Past experiences in Zambia have shown that despite the successive Auditor General's reports revealing financial irregularities in the management of public funds, there has not been enough mechanisms that have been put in place to address these irregularities. This has resulted in the growing concerns among civil society organizations and the general populace that if this trend is not checked, serious consequences will follow. The Auditor General's reports further suggest that there is inertia on the part of the executive to follow up on obvious cases of abuse even after Parliament (through the Public Accounts Committee) has made clear and concise recommendations for the prosecution of individuals cited for corruption in public finance management. |
