A stakeholders’ consultative workshop for the second National Anti-Corruption Strategy and Action Plan (NACSAP) for 2021 to 2025 of the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) commenced in the capital on Tuesday.
The NACSAP has eight strategic objectives which are aimed to respond to key issues and challenges that Namibia is facing.
These include, increasing the level of political accountability and transparency, prevention of corruption, strengthening efforts to deter corruption, conducting extensive anti-corruption education, enhance measures and increase accountability to prevent corruption in the private sector.
It further includes engaging civil society and the media in combating corruption, preventing corruption and promoting accountability in the sports fraternity, and engaging and participation of youth in anti-corruption initiatives.
Officiating at the event, Khomas Region Governor Laura McLeod-Katjirua said power does not corrupt people but people corrupt power for self-enrichment leading to corruption practices that impede government achievements.
She said in 2016 Cabinet approved the first NACSAP 2016-2019 aimed to promote a system of integrity, accountability and transparency that was implemented in 2017 and ended last year in March.
According to McLeod-Katjirua 70 out of 75 actions were fully implemented from that NACSAP action plan.
“Our government fully acknowledges that corruption has been the world’s biggest development challenge that poses a severe threat to economic progress and destructs economies, democracy, rule of law and has no room in the society,” said McLeod-Katjirua.
ACC Acting Director-General Paulus Noa said corruption is a social evil affecting countries globally and Namibia is no exception, adding that if left unchecked it may become widespread and undermine good governance and weakens institutions that are pillars of economic growth.
It is unacceptable for officials in key positions to betray the public trust and damage the economy.
“Your inputs will ensure better management of public properties, a better system of allocation of public resources to benefit needy people, initiatives of development programmes, and overall transparency in allocation and spending of public resources,” he said.
He further emphasised that Namibia shall only become a corrupt-free nation through a coordinated and concerted effort by all citizens, stressing that all corrupt officials must be exposed, rejected and appropriately arraigned before the court of law or face administrative justice.
Source: Namibia Press Agency
