The Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) has welcomed reviewers from France and Uganda, who will analyse Namibia’s implementation of the United Nations Convention against Corruption (UNCAC) for the next three days.

Speaking during the opening ceremony of the three-day review workshop in Windhoek on Tuesday, ACC Director Paulus Noa said the presence of the reviewers from the two countries confirms their two Governments’ confidence in Namibia’s democratic system and governance.

“Your findings and recommendations will certainly help Namibia to improve and maximise the implementation of the Convention. While some progress has been made in the implementation of the Convention, there are areas for improvement,” he said.

Noa added that since Namibia signed the UNCAC in 2003 and ratified it in 2004, it had participated as one of the reviewers during the first review cycle on Chapter III, Criminalisation and Law Enforcement and Chapter IV, International Cooperation of UNCAC.

At the same time, Namibia was also reviewed by Canada and Ethiopia, while during the second review cycle the country was among the first state parties selected to conduct the second review.

“The recommendations which came out of Namibia’s Review Report remarkably informed the governance reforms that have been adopted since then. A robust Public Procurement Act providing for preventative measures was enacted and is fully operational,” Noa explained.

The ACC Director added that the law complements other existing laws such as the Anti-Corruption Act, Prevention of Organized Crime Act, and Financial Intelligence Act.

He revealed that new laws are on the way, such as the Whistleblower Protection Act, Witness Protection Act and Access to Information law.

According to Noa, the ACC Strategic Plan for 2017-2022 sets clear objectives and allows ACC to manage its performance.

“The findings and recommendations will be a learning experience for Namibia because we are keen to learn from good practices of other authorities in our bid to improve on our domestication of the Convention. The review thus presents an opportunity for improvement,” he said.

The workshop will include a session for Civil Society Organisations, who are described as indispensable stakeholders in corruption prevention.

“Their preventive anti-corruption programs can equally enhance good governance, transparency and accountability. Also, Namibia reiterates her commitment to the implementation of the Convention and the review process following the mechanism,” he concluded.

Source: The Namibian Press Agency