WALVIS BAY – Service delivery will remain a challenge unless regional and local authorities recommit themselves and develop policies and programmes that expressly reject corruption and all forms of unethical conduct.
Anti-Corruption Commission director general Paulus Noa made the observation during the ACC’s engagement with regional and local authority leaders to discuss the promotion of anti-corruption practices in Swakopmund on Thursday.
He said local and regional governments are crucial to basic service delivery as they, along with administrative officials, are at the frontline of service delivery to the electorate.
“As a result, Cabinet did not hesitate in approving the second National Anti-Corruption Strategy and Action Plan 2021-2025. The action plan resolves that all offices, ministries, agencies and all implementing institutions must incorporate and cascade relevant strategic objectives and the respective actions into their sectoral strategic annual plans for implementation,” Noa explained.
The second strategy deals with preventing corruption in all government institutions, including local authorities. The previous strategy did not explicitly mention local and regional authorities. The regional and local governments are close to the citizens, and managing them efficiently is thus a prerequisite for good governance.
“Therefore, a workshop like this one is necessary because it reinforces the critical role local and regional authorities play in promoting anti-corruption activities, as well as increasing citizens’ confidence in politics. When governance in local and regional authorities is in a mess, when transparency and accountability are found wanting, residents become the immediate victims of poor service delivery and political squabbles among councillors. In the end, development in those regions and towns is compromised,” Noa stressed.
As a result, citizens get discouraged to participate in local authority elections because of a lack of transparency and accountability in the management of local authority affairs.
“It appears, to some elected leaders, that their political interests come before the interests of the residents. I am saying this with the exception of many local authorities that are managed in compliance with the laws, and the ACC hardly receives serious allegations of corruption and maladministration implicating such towns and municipalities. In respect of some, the ACC receives reports of administrative irregularities, mismanagement, maladministration and corruption.
- edeklerk@nepc.com.na