Prime Minister Saara Kuugongelwa-Amadhila says acts of corruption within the public sector are in some instances fuelled by players in the private sector who are willing to offer bribes to government officials.
According to the prime minister, corruption manifests in all spheres of society and occurs in the public and private sectors.
Therefore, she said, all stakeholders have a duty to contribute to making Namibia a corrupt-free nation by implementing the strategic objectives and actions as identified in the National Anti-Corruption Strategy and Action Plan for 2021 to 2025.
“Corruption is our common enemy which, if not tackled decisively, may destroy gains Namibia has thus far made, as well as future development prospects,” said Kuugongelwa-Amadhila during the launch of the National Anti-Corruption Strategy and Action Plan for 2021 to 2025.
The strategic plan, which has eight strategic objectives, aims to foster and promote cooperation amongst the implementing stakeholders and to also provide a coordinated approach to anti-corruption preventive programmes at all levels of society.
The launch also included an induction training session for various stakeholders.
“I am also glad that the programme of today also included an induction training. Effective implementation of the agreed interventions under the strategy requires all stakeholders to have a clear understanding of their roles and responsibilities and how they feed into the desired results,” noted Kuugongelwa-Amadhila.
Speaking at the same occasion, Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) director Paulus Noa said the launch signifies Namibia’s commitment to regional and international legal instruments, which require state parties to develop and implement comprehensive national anti-corruption strategies that promote the participation of society and reflect the principles of the rule of law.
“ACC is fully convinced that for our beautiful country to strengthen good governance, deliberate measures must be introduced to curb corruption. Therefore, the advent of the strategy presents a strong bond among stakeholders to introduce effective anti-corruption measures,” said Noa.
He noted the strategy aims to keep officials and institutions on alert, ensuring that outdated policies, laws, and regulations are from time to time revised to address potential loopholes that are prone to corruption.
“In order to ensure that the strategy is taken seriously and not kept collecting dust in the shelves, an unwavering steering committee is established, with the objective to monitor how responsible institutions are implementing the actions,” explained Noa.
He emphasised the strategy is vital in ensuring continuity in curbing corruption.
– mamakali@nepc.com.na