The Deputy Inspector General of Government, Dr. Patricia Achan Okiria, has called on African countries to strengthen cooperation, collaboration, and coordination in the fight against corruption, emphasizing that only a united regional approach can deliver lasting results.
Speaking during a meeting with representatives from anti-corruption chapters implementing the Stopping Impunity for Corruption through Enhanced Accountability (SICEA) project, Dr. Okiria stressed that tackling corruption requires more than isolated national efforts.
“Fighting corruption requires concerted efforts—regional cooperation, collaboration, and coordination. Only through such collective resolve can we overcome the invisible lines that divide us and risk undermining the progress we strive to achieve,” she said.
She highlighted the importance of coordinated regional strategies in closing cross-border escape routes for suspects, improving intelligence sharing, enabling joint investigations, strengthening asset recovery, and disrupting organized corruption networks. Such efforts, she noted, are key to promoting regional stability and economic growth.
Dr. Okiria further explained that regional frameworks provide a platform for countries to exchange critical intelligence on suspects, financial transactions, and criminal networks, an approach that significantly boosts the effectiveness of anti-corruption initiatives.
The visiting delegation was in Uganda on a learning mission focused on right to information management practices. Dr. Okiria pointed to Uganda’s Inter-Agency Forum (IAF) as a model of effective collaboration, noting that it facilitates secure and lawful information sharing among institutions responsible for preventing, detecting, and prosecuting corruption.
“The forum meets quarterly to update each other on ongoing cases. As the Inspectorate of Government, we also work closely with the Office of the Auditor General and the Public Procurement and Disposal of Public Assets Authority under a tripartite arrangement to share information on cases we are handling,” she said.
She underscored the critical role of access to information in strengthening investigations, noting that it enhances transparency, accountability, and fairness in the anti-corruption process.
Paul Banoba, Africa Regional Advisor at Transparency International, commended the Inspectorate of Government for its proactive strategies, particularly in information sharing, which he said offer valuable lessons for other countries in tackling corruption.
The SICEA project is being implemented in 11 African countries, including the Democratic Republic of Congo, Ghana, Kenya, Liberia, Republic of Congo, Rwanda, Sierra Leone, South Africa, Togo, Uganda, and Zambia, with the aim of fostering communities of practice and advancing anti-corruption reforms across the continent.
