PRESS RELEASE
Launch of Week-Long Training on Corruption in Public Procurement by Commonwealth Africa Anti-Corruption Centre (CAACC) and Partnership for Transparency (PTF)
January 31, 2022, Gaborone, Botswana
Monday, January 31 marked the launch of a week-long training program on anti-corruption efforts in public procurement hosted by the Partnership for Transparency (PTF) and the Commonwealth Africa Anti-Corruption Centre (CAACC). The training, attended by representatives of anti-corruption agencies (ACAs) from fifteen African Commonwealth countries, is focused on corruption along the procurement cycle, corruption risks, and preventive as well as investigative measures. These informative sessions will be supplemented by discussion fora designed to allow participants to share their own experiences in anti-corruption.
The training also incorporates sessions on working with the private sector and public procurement in an emergency context—specifically focused on the implications of health emergencies like COVID-19 for procurement processes and the inherent increase of risk.
The variety of topics covered in this training speaks to the importance of understanding anti-corruption efforts, particularly in the realm of public procurement, from a holistic point of view. All actors involved in procurement processes have a role to play in ensuring transparency and integrity in the delivery of public services, and a whole-of-society approach is required to effectively combat corruption.
While CAACC and PTF are hosting the event, facilitators involved in the training represent a variety of different organizations, including Open Contracting Partnership, the World Bank, George Washington University, the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, the United Nations Office on Drug and Crime and Commonwealth Secretariat as well as representatives from PTF.
The training program, which was officially opened by Dr. Roger Koranteng, Adviser and Head, Public Sector Governance for the Commonwealth Secretariat, and Ms. Haleh Bridi, Chair of PTF Europe, marks the latest development in an ongoing partnership between PTF and CAACC. Since a memorandum of understanding signed in late 2021, PTF and CAACC have jointly carried out one training on stakeholder engagement, followed by the current training on procurement.
For inquiries on the training or to speak to an event organizer, contact:
Rachel Ansley, Communications Manager, PTF
Lerato Dube, Communication and Political Affairs Coordinator, CAACC
