By Benjamin Chisale
The Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) has called for support in the battle against corruption, saying the vice remains one of the greatest impediments to development in Malawi.
ACB Director of Corruption Prevention Mary Phombeya made the remarks on Friday, March 12, when the state funded graft busting body ACB organized an awareness workshop for all media institutions and practitioners based in Mangochi district at Sun and Sand Holiday Resort.
The scope of the meeting was to sensitize members of the media on National Anti-Corruption Strategy II, a strategy that was reviewed and launched in 2019.
In her opening remarks, Phombeya called on media fraternity to raise awareness to the public on evils of corruption and expose corruption and poor service delivery.
She noted that only a few people benefit from corrupt practices while the nation is deprived of vital resources.
Phombeya added that it is therefore necessary to have political will, a multi-sector approach and the unwavering support of members of public for the country to win the battle against corruption.
“It is against this background that the Malawi Government formulated the NACS II with an increased number of pillars to ensure that no one is left behind in the fight against corruption. It is a tool to support good governance in Malawi and eradicate corruption, through anti-corruption reforms and promotion of a culture that is intolerant to corrupt practices,” she said.
The Bureau’s Principal public relations officer Egrita Ndala said journalists have a very crucial role to play in order to achieve the goal since they have the platform to use to reach out to members of the public with anti-corruption messages.
Ndala further stated that since journalists are trusted by members of the public, they are in the most powerful position to impact the fight against corrupt practices in Malawi.
This was the third workshop in a series of workshop ACB planned for the media in an effort to woo the support of jounalists in tackling corruption and bribery.
The first workshop was conducted on 22 September 2020 at Mt. Soche hotel in Blantyre and was graced by the Minister of Information Hon. Gospel Kazako, and the second was held in Lilongwe on 10th March 2021.
Recently, Transparency International (IT) announced that Malawi had once again scored poorly on the fight against corruption and bribery with latest studies showing the country has slipped from 120 to 123 on the global Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI).
