PROMOTING good governance and upholding the rule of law are key pillars in the joint fight against corruption in the Southern Africa Development Community (SADC) area, the government has declared.

Dr Stergomena Tax, the Defence and National Service minister, made this affirmation at a sub-regional workshop where top officials of anti-corruption agencies compare notes and exchange experiences.

She expressed the government's commitment to fostering good governance, saying that the workshop comes at the right time, offering a platform to share best practices, strengthen collaboration and align agency efforts for a more effective fight against corruption in the region.

An online entry says that the SADC protocol against corruption dating back to August 2014 is intended to promote and strengthen the development, within each member state, of mechanisms needed to prevent corruption and its wider effects, including the financing of terrorism.

The protocol was designed to prevent, detect, punish and eradicate corruption, promoting cooperation among state parties to ensure its effectiveness, it says of the regional agreement adhered to by the totality of the SADC member states.

Its scope relates to activities in the public and private sectors of member states, privileged to strengthen mechanisms within member states to address corruption in government institutions as well as in businesses, the outline affirms. 

In its legal framework, the protocol serves as a platform for SADC member states to develop and implement national anti-corruption strategies and laws, tied to the United Nations convention against corruption.

The regional organ complements the global UNCAC framework as the main legally binding international anti-corruption treaty, the note affirms, while at the meeting, a top anti-graft official reiterated the government’s stance on these commitments.

Crispin Chalamila, the Prevention and Combating of Corruption Bureau (PCCB) director general, said at the workshop that SADC member states are committed to strengthening their anti-corruption efforts through enhanced cooperation,

The director who also serves as chairman of the SADC anti-corruption committee made this affirmation at the opening the regional meeting for heads of anti-corruption institutions from SADC member states. The meeting was also attended by international partners supporting accountability efforts across Africa, he said.

This year’s theme links the SADC anti-corruption protocol as vital to enabling sustainable cooperation for economic growth, peace, security and good governance in the SADC Region.

It offers an opportunity to reflect on two decades of implementing anti-corruption goals and to chart a new direction for the future, he said,  asserting that regional institutional cooperation in the fight against corruption will help protect resources, boost the region’s economy and ensure that citizens in Sub-Saharan Africa benefit from good governance.