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Towards
consolidating anti-corruption efforts (ADDIS
ABABA)-Corruption is one of the most serious
social evils that deter the development endeavors of
several countries across the world. Evidences show that
less developed countries are more vulnerable to the
problem than developed ones. Our country is one of the
highly affected countries by the problem. A recent past
history of the country shows that during the period of
the dictatorial regime when there was no accountability
of public officials the country’s resources were
highly abused by those who were loyal to the system.
Now the country is moving in a new direction,
towards development and democracy. The government is
striding to ensure the prevalence of good governance in
the country. The establishment of the Federal Ethics and
Anti-corruption Commission of a couple of years ago was
to realize the ideals of good governance and democracy.
Several tasks have been undertaken in accordance with
these ideals. Measures were taken against corrupt
officials .The Commission has filed charges against
officials suspected to have involved in corruption. As
institution it has strengthened itself over the years
and now is spearheading the fight against corruption and
malpractices. The institution, apart from taking
measures against suspected cases is also exerting
efforts to build a democratic society, which does not
bear corruption. In this respect the Commission has
given awareness-raising lessons on various occasions.
Although it needs a comprehensive study to show the
overall impact of the Commission in fighting corruption,
evidences show that the awareness level about the
impacts of corruption is increasing in the society. The
people are becoming less and less tolerant of
corruption. Instead they are at present exposing
malpractices thereby assisting the Commission’
efforts. In an effort to enhance the
realization of its mission, the Commission has been
learning the experiences of different countries. The
lessons learnt were indeed valuable and supportive of
its mission. Recently a delegation led by the Federal
Ethics and Anti-corruption Commissioner went to China
for experience-sharing purposes (Addis Zemen September
05, 2006). The delegation is expected to learn
experiences in fighting corruption. China is mentioned
as one of the leading countries in taking tough measures
against corruption. The recent visit to China came
following a similar visit to Malaysia. The
Commission’s frequent visit to the countries with
commendable records in fighting corruption is a clear
indication that the government is in a determined
position to tackle the problem. The government’s position in
fighting the problem and results achieved so far have
also been recognized by various donor agencies and
development partners such as the World Bank. Recently
the Bank’s Director to Ethiopia and Sudan expressed
that the Bank will provide support to the efforts
underway in the country to fight corruption. According
to the Director, the Bank gives due attention to the
country’s anti-corruption efforts being undertaken by
the Commission. He also expressed the Bank’s readiness
to support research works and studies financially. Of
course as a development partner the World Bank also
wants its development projects in the country to be
executed free of corruption and malpractices. Presently no prior agenda is there
for Ethiopia other than rapid development. The economy
must grow substantially and rapidly for the country to
come out of the quagmire of poverty. The past three
consecutive years signaled that it will not take the
country long to transform its economy and be freed from
poverty. The five-year development plans were developed
along this line. Of course the realization of the
country’s development programs cannot be separated
from the democratization process and ensuring of good
governance. The Commission plays a vital role
in this regard. It helps to ensure good governance by
way of discouraging corrupt practices and behaviors.
However, the country needs a lot more efforts in
instilling its ideas in the society. The society need to
stand as vanguards to stop corruption. In this respect
awareness-raising works need to be further enhanced. Editorial-The Ethiopian Herald [6 September 2006]
FEAC
and International Crusade Against Corruption
“Our greatest challenge today is to ensure that people
everywhere can live in dignity, free from poverty,
hunger, violence, oppression and injustice. For many
people in a corrupt society, those freedoms remain only
a dream.’’ This was a remark made by UN
Secretary-General Kofi Annan at a high-level conference
organized for the purpose of signing the UN Convention
Against Corruption in Mexico December 2003 to highlight
the challenge posed by corruption. Indeed,
the challenges are real ones. Yet these challenges would
not remain challenges nor would the freedoms remain only
a dream so long as states commit themselves to
international cooperation and political will to root out
social ills, most importantly corruption which is
affecting, to a greater or lesser extent, all segments
of the public worldwide. True,
corruption offences are appearing often in a new and
increasingly sophisticated forms while the corrosive
effects are growing wider in scope in connection with
globalization. The fact
that corruption offences are manifested in varying and
subtle features make more difficult to detect and uproot
them. It seems
that globalization coupled with growing introduction of
new tec has created a favorable situation for corrupt
individuals and groups to indulge in devious corruption
offences. Kofi
Annan at that momentous event said, ‘’Criminals have
wasted no time in embracing today’s globalized economy
and sophisticated technology that goes with it.’’ In
light of the growing complexity of corruption throughout
the world, it would just be unfair, if not naïve to
make piecemeal and fragmentary efforts to counter a
global phenomenon For
obvious reason, tackling such sophisticated corruption
offences calls for improved international cooperation
and the world should realize that corruption is no
longer a domestic problem but that it is a global
phenomenon. Unless
checked in time in unison, it is no wonder that
corruption will continue to weaken the rule of law,
erode public trust in leaders and institutions and deter
investment growth. Most importantly, a few corrupt
individuals or groups will continue to increasingly
squeeze the meager resources to illicit enrichment that
could otherwise be utilized to improve the livelihood of
the majority poor. It is, nonetheless, encouraging to learn that as of recently a
number of countries have established anti-corruption
institutions and adopted strategies that best help them
prevent the pervasive effects of corruption as well as
disseminate ethics education among the general public. Ethiopia
is among these countries. Established in May 2001, the
Federal Ethics and Anti-corruption Commission (FEAC) has
been implementing various activities geared towards
reining in the adverse effects of corruption and
accomplishing its objectives, namely disseminating civic
and ethics education, preventing and prosecuting
corruption offences. The
Commission has always been desirous to contribute share
in the international cooperation to fight this plague.
Officials and experts from the Commission, for instance,
had paid visits to countries that have achieved striking
success in overcoming corruption with a view to drawing
their best practices and harmonize them with the
country’s circumstances. The
Commission had also participated in several
international and continental conferences. Accordingly,
experts from the Commission had participated in two
international conferences held in Seoul, Republic of
Korea from May 25-31, 2003. The first conference was
held from May 25-28, 2003 with the theme, “Different
Cultures, Common Values”. More than 900 participants
drawn from 108 countries attended this international
anti-corruption conference. Seoul
also hosted the 3rd Global Forum from May
29-31, 2003 whose agenda focused mainly on fighting
corruption and promoting honesty. The conference
served as a venue for exchanging experiences in a bid to
hammer out workable strategies to reduce corruption
across the globe. Led by Commissioner of the FEAC,
the Ethiopian delegation participated in a series of
discussions and availed itself the opportunity to
explain the ongoing anti-corruption efforts in Ethiopia. In a similar vein, officials of the Commission had
participated at the international conference organized
in Vienna, Austria in 2005 to prepare the International
Anti-corruption Convention, not to mention its
participation in the international conference held here
in January 2006 to draft action plan. The 2006
conference was particularly vital to the Commission as
it drew significant lessons from the conference that
brought together over 84 countries including 14 African
states. The
Commission was represented by its Commissioner at the 4th
Anti-corruption Global Forum held in Brazil from June
7-10, 2005.The Commission had taken advantage of the
forum to popularize the crusades it launched against
corruption while drew invaluable lessons from countries
represented at the event. The
representatives present on the occasion had pledged to
intensify the war against corruption through
cooperation. It was also underscored that the principles
of global forum serve as vehicles to exchange
experiences and improve international cooperation. The need
to ratify the UN Convention Against Corruption and
building capacity of experts were highlighted on the
occasion. The participants also discussed the importance
of developing and applying instruments allowing for
provision of extradition and asset recovery. In light of the preceding three conferences, the participants
expressed concerns to give due attention to implement
issues agreed upon during the 4th Global
Forum. At a
continental level, the delegation from the Commission
had taken part in the 1st Pan African
National Anti-corruption Commission meeting held in
Lusaka, Zambia from November 9-11, 2005.The meeting
which was attended by over 35 African states passed a
message to participants to put pressure to their
respective governments to ratify the African Union
Anti-corruption Convention which was signed by 35 states
of which only ten states ratified it. During
the occasion, it was emphasized that the fact that most
states had failed to ratify the convention signed two
years ago had made it impossible to implement the
convention. The
participants reached consensus that member states adapt
it into their respective laws if the convention has to
be enforced. The participants also agreed to hold a Pan
African Forum annually so that member states could share
experiences on corruption. On the
other hand, a five-member delegation from the Commission
visited Hong Kong in March 2003 to forge relation with
the latter’s Independent Commission Against
Corruption. The delegation in its stay for 11 days drew
considerable experiences and lessons from the country
considered the world’s most famous anti-corruption
model. The
government of Hong Kong placed the fight against
corruption on the top of its agenda following the
disastrous impacts corruption caused in the country in
1950s and 60s.Such commitment gave rise to the
establishment Hong Kong’s Independent Commission
Against Corruption (ICAC) in 1974.When it established
the commission, Hong Kong knew very well that throwing
corrupt individuals in to jail alone would not enough to
overcome corruption. Thus the
country alongside engaged in rooting out archaic
bureaucratic procedures as well as promoting public
awareness pertaining pervasive effects of corruption- an
important lesson the Ethiopian delegation drew during
its visit to Hong Kong. The
experiences drawn from the ICAC indicate that no matter
how well equipped an anti-corruption institution in
manpower and logistics, it would not overcome corruption
unless it gets behind citizens and civic associations
that abhor corruption. The delegation has also learnt that for any anti-corruption
institution to succeed, political will of government,
strong legal instruments, staunch public backing and
international cooperation are imperative. Officials
from the Commission had also the opportunity to visit
Malaysia. Unlike the FEAC, the anti-corruption
institution of Malaysia, which was established in 1967,
has a wider scope covering non-governmental
organizations and private institutions apart from
government offices. It has also put in place Intelligence Surveillance Division in
its structure whose function is to track down corruption
offences and bring them before the court. The commitment
of the institution to nurture ethical citizens in
schools could be a lesson the FEAC should draw. It is
interesting that persons to be employed in this
institution are required to receive at least a two-year
training at Malaysia Anti-corruption Academy which runs
programs ranging from certificate to doctorate levels. Officials
of the Commission also visited Botswana, a country
established itself as a successful anti-corruption state
in Africa. The
constructive relation the Commission has cemented with
the Berlin-based Transparency International (TI) is
worth mentioning. TI Regional Director for Africa and the Middle East, Mr. Casey Kelso, for instance, paid a working visit to Ethiopia in April 2006 during which he held discussion with officials of the Commission as well as country representative of TI. At the
national level, Ethiopia had, for the first time, marked
the World Anti-corruption Day on December 9, 2005 per
the resolution passed by the UN General Assembly to
observe December 9 as World Anti-corruption Day in honor
of December 9, 2003, the day on which the UN Convention
Against Corruption was presented for signature. The day was celebrated with befitting ceremony in Ethiopia
during which relevant programs aired via various media
outlets and a workshop was held at the UN Conference
Center. The observance of the day at the national level
provided an opportunity to reinforce the anti-corruption
efforts as well as boost public involvement. In
conclusion, visits to countries with rich experiences
and participations in the international, continental and
regional anti-corruption conferences were essential to
build up on the commission’s experiences. Equally
important, the Commission took advantage of the visits
and the conferences to popularize its endeavors. The
visits and the conferences had also opened opportunity
for the Commission to contribute its due share in the
crusades against corruption at the international level. The
Commission would work in earnest to energize its
activities as well as extend unswerving support to the
international crusade against corruption in an effort to
see corruption-free society where citizens enjoy peace,
justice and sustained economic growth. The
Commission is Ready to Work with Stakeholders By
Selamawit Firdissa, FEAC Studies
say that anti-corruption strategies are most effective
when they are participative and inclusive of all
stakeholders in the society. Such inclusiveness
requires, building coalition among stakeholders such as,
government offices, media, civil society and Non
Governmental Organizations that are working at the grass
root level to ensure the sustainability of reforms. The
International Community has also an indispensable role
in the campaign against corruption. It
has been quiet a time since, the Ethiopian government
has realized the threat paused by corruption on the
country's development. The establishment of the Federal
Ethics and Anti-corruption Commission (FEAC) is a sign
of efforts to avert the danger. And therefore it
established the FEAC with a view to curbing corruption
in collaboration with development partners before it
reaches a more pervasive stage. The
recently revised FEAC establishment proclamation clearly
states the Commission's readiness to work in cooperation
with relevant bodies with the hope of creating an aware
society that does not condone or tolerate corruption,
through the promotion of ethics and anti-corruption
education. It also stipulates that the Commission shall
carry out its prevention tasks with relevant bodies.
Even
though the responsibility of promoting ethics and
anti-corruption education mandates is given to the
Commission by law, different institutions have their own
role in developing the expected character of
generations. The character of an individual is not
shaped by a single factor. It is the harmonious
combination of many factors that brings a morally fit
personality. Among others, family, mass media, peer
groups, schools with their teachers, civil organizations
etc are morally responsible to change the youth’s
character to the better. Enhancing ethical standards
within the civil service and other government
organizations and non-government organizations over a
sustained period of time is crucial in combating
corruption. Hence, management groups and employees have
a responsibility to implement a professional code of
ethics in their organizations and enhance the activities
of Ethics Units in their office. The Commission believes
that the roles of all relevant stakeholders in the
anti-corruption struggle are indispensable. Cognizant of
this reality, FEAC is encouraging all its partners to
actively take part in the campaign against corruption
via ethics education primarily. It
is the Commission's duty to prevent corruption by
examining the practices and working procedures of
government offices and public enterprises to secure the
revision of methods of work, which may be conducive to
corrupt practices. In this connection, the Commission
has thoroughly examined the practices and procedures of
various government offices and public enterprises. Based
on the findings, FEAC has made appropriate and
constructive recommendations for each of government
departments and urge them to take corrective measures
sooner than later. The close collaboration of government
offices with the Commission is very essential to fully
implement the recommendations. FEAC
has also a full mandate to investigate and prosecute
corruption offences. It has also filed charges against
alleged corrupters. It has finalized the investigation
of some alleged corruption cases in some public
enterprises and government offices and has filed charges
against the suspected corrupters. The investigation and
prosecution of many other cases of corruption is also
underway. So far as collaborative work with stakeholders
is concerned, things seem to be going well. The revised
Commission's Establishment Proclamation further states,
"the Commission may delegate, in whole or in part,
to Federal or Regional crime investigation power of
corruption cases, other than grand corruption."
Accordingly, the Commission is going to issue
authentication papers that allow Federal and Regional
bodies investigate and prosecute corruption offences
that are out of the focus of attention of the
Commission. To conclude, full public backing can become a reality with public awareness of the right motive and objectives of the Commission. The commission is in action to protect the property of the poor, to install ethics in public service delivery, to bring about ethical citizens with strong desire and initiative to make change and to enhance the development process of the country by combating corruption. Therefore, it is ready to work in cooperation with anyone interested in combating corruption. |
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“Many hands make light work” Teshome (FEAC) The Federal Ethics and
Anti-corruption Commission (FEAC) made it clear from the
very outset that unilateral efforts alone would not
enable the FEAC to attain its objectives. Since
its establishment in 2001, the FEAC thus has been doing
its utmost to collaborate with various segments of the
society in the fight against corruption and
improprieties. The best practices of countries
that achieved remarkable results in the battle against
corruption as well as theoretical analysis of corruption
are the driving forces in the Commission’s prevailing
direction. Hence, these factors could be
considered proof to step up the Commission’s efforts. The FEAC was established with the
objectives to promote ethics and anti-corruption
educations, prevent corruption offences and
improprieties as well as unveil, investigate and
prosecute corruption offences and improprieties. Achieving such wide-ranging targets
demands not only unrelenting and persistent efforts of
the FEAC but also the active involvement of the public
at large. It is important to note that the
FEAC was mainly established to coordinate and lead the
battle against corruption. One should not, nevertheless,
expect the FEAC to meet all the objectives by its sole
efforts only. Some people, due to lack of understanding,
expect the FEAC to weed out corruption by its sole
efforts in the absence of active public involvement.
Such wrong attitude needs to be rectified. The amended proclamation of the
FEAC unequivocally states that the FEAC should work in
collaboration with stakeholders in order to efficiently
discharge its duties and responsibilities. Thus one
should be cognizant of this fact and render every
assistance to the FEAC, which is in the vanguard of
combating corruption and improprieties. It is absolutely imperative that
the public rally behind the FEAC. By the same token, it
is essential that the FEAC play the leading role to
ensure active participation of stakeholders.
Undoubtedly, this two-dimensional approach of
tackling corruption would pay impressive dividends at
the end of the day. In its endeavors to date, the FEAC
has done its level best to bring together various
segments of the society in the anti-corruption campaign.
The FEAC has executed wide-ranging activities to promote
ethics and anti-corruption educations by rallying behind
all stakeholders, including youth associations,
organizations working on children and women,
professional associations, media outlets, faith-based
organizations as well as other non-governmental and
governmental organizations. Even though the FEAC, in
conjunction with stakeholders, has thus far undertaken
commendable activities, there is still no room for
complacency. It is, therefore, important to note that a
lot remains to be done on the basis best experiences and
practices in a bid to record much better results in the
years ahead. Cognizant of this, the FEAC has
prepared draft manual that would enable it to enhance
cooperation with stakeholders. The draft manual is
taking shape through discussions by pertinent bodies.
The manual, it is believed, would contribute its share
in scaling up the fight against corruption when it is
put in to force. The FEAC is in the meantime
implementing other activities that would help hammer out
means and mechanisms that would help enhance the
anti-corruption campaign. The recent consultative meeting
held with faith-based organizations to deliberate on
ways and strategies to promote ethics and
anti-corruption education is the case in point.
Obviously, faith-based organizations have had vast
experiences in imparting ethics to their faithful. The fact that faith-based
organizations have a large number of followers and
profound public acceptance presents a big opportunity to
promote ethics and anti-corruption education. The
experiences of countries that registered significant
results in disseminating ethics and anti-corruption
education attest to the importance of involving
faith-based organizations in this rewarding endeavour. In fact, the FEAC has been working
with faith-based organizations since 1995 E.C. It has
launched activities to foster its relations with
organizations so as to accelerate ethics and
anti-corruption education. To this end, the FEAC had held
consultative meetings with the Ethiopian Orthodox Church
and the Ethiopian Islamic Affairs Supreme Council on
strategies to raise public awareness. During the
occasion, a consensus was reached to set up a committee
in the respective organizations that is in charge of
disseminating ethics and anti-corruption education to
the faithful. The participants highlighted
mechanisms in which the committees and the FEAC work
closely. There is a conviction that the consensus
reached between the FEAC and faith-based organizations
would have immense role in promoting and disseminating
ethics and anti-corruption educations. Still more, this
collaboration is an endeavour others should follow suit. The FEAC is very keen to closely
and persistently work with other faith-based
organizations as well for the success of the campaign. The FEAC is due to reach similar
consensus with the remaining faith-based organizations. Though the consensus reached with
these organizations could be considered a great stride,
it is apparently not an end in itself. The effectiveness
of the consensus lies in the commitment and
determination to translate it into action. There is a firm belief that other institutions would be motivated by this exemplary endeavour of the faith-based organizations and join hands with the FEAC. |
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The
Need to Support Ethics and Civic Education Clubs By
Temesgen Alemayehu It is
invaluably important to make every effort to help school
children become ethical citizens who are wholeheartedly
dedicated to enhancing development and promoting
democracy and good governance in this Country.
Obviously, the children shoulder a bigger responsibility
in determining the future of their country than any
cross-section of the society. For this
reason, a number of countries are doing their best to
incorporate ethics and civic education in their formal
school curriculum and list of extracurricular activities
so that their children are equipped with socially
acceptable ethical and moral values. In a
similar vein, the Federal Ethics and Anti-corruption
Commission (FEAC), in collaboration with the Ministry of
Education, facilitated the inclusion of ethics and civic
education in the Country's formal education system. It
is the Commission's strong conviction that the spread
and expansion of ethics and civic education in the
Country will significantly contribute to the building
and creation of an ethical society that doesn't, at all,
tolerate corruption and impropriety. Currently,
therefore, there is a global consensus that such an
approach is a more cost-effective, sustainable and
participatory way of preventing corruption contrary to
preventive measures which are costly and complicated.
That is why many Ethiopians consider the inclusion of
ethics and civic education in the Country's education
system to be a very timely, commendable and praiseworthy
move by the Ethiopian Government in its fight against
corruption. In
connection with this, the establishment of ethics and
civic education clubs in the primary and secondary
schools shows the genuine move by the government to
inculcate ethical behaviour among the youth and
children. In fact, a number of schools have already
established ethics and civic education clubs across the
Country thereby contributing to the creation of an
ethical society. Recently,
the Commission has reached an agreement with the
Ministry of Education, which is entitled to overlook and
facilitate their flourishing thereby promoting ethical
behaviour throughout the Country. In fact, the task of
strengthening civic and ethics education should not be
solely left to the Ministry and the Commission. It is
our strong conviction that all stakeholders should
extend maximum support to them. In its
effort to provide the clubs with research-based and
sustainable support, the Commission sent a team of
experts to different schools across the Country. The
team contacted members of the clubs, school directors
and heads of zonal education departments and gathered
data on their performance and activities. Having
analyzed the data, the team identified some of the
problems and obstacles that the clubs encountered since
their establishment. Chief among the problems were luck
of proper management and follow up on the part of
schools. The Commission is, therefore, making valiant
efforts to solve the problem in collaboration with the
respective schools and education departments. With a
view to curbing this problem, the FEAC has already
designed a guidance manual (in collaboration with the
Ministry of Education), which it is distributing among
schools. The whole purpose of developing the manual is
enabling schools to give proper management and guidance
to the clubs. Similarly, the FEAC is doing its level
best to reinforce (in partnership with the respective
schools and education departments) the ethics and civic
education clubs in 400 government and private schools in
Addis Ababa City Administration. In the
years to come, also, the Commission will continue to
support ethics and civic education clubs in a very
sustainable and coordinated manner so that they can
contribute significantly to the creation of an ethical
society that doesn't tolerate corruption. It will also
continue to work in partnership and collaboration with
schools, education departments and other stakeholders in
building the capacities of the clubs and expanding
ethics and anti-corruption education. The FEAC will also
encourage schools that have not established ethics and
civic education clubs to establish one. In
conclusion, the Commission will, as usual, put a very
high premium on the role of ethics and civic education
clubs in building an ethical society that doesn't
condone corruption and impropriety. Obviously, their
members are school children, who will assume a very huge
responsibility in the leadership and building of their
country after a few years. Therefore, inculcating
acceptable moral and ethical values in the hearts and
minds of these children will, no doubt, contribute
significantly to building an ethical society with little
or no corrupt mentality. Thus the fact that they are
highly rated by the FEAC is not a surprise. It
should, however, be noted by all concerned bodies that
the support and encouragement of the FEAC alone can take
the clubs nowhere. Only the concerted efforts of all
stakeholders in general and the Ethiopian public in
particular can bring about the desired results in this
regard. Therefore, we, hereby, urge our partners and the public at large to join hands with us in supporting and strengthening ethics and civic education clubs throughout the Country. We are very hopeful that our partners will attach similar value to the role of the clubs in the fight against corruption and give us the required assistance in reinforcing them. |
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Costs
and Consequences of
Corruption
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Discharge
your responsibilities! Defend your right! In any government organization, every
citizen has the right to:-
On the other hand, every citizen
is
expected to:-
Public offices and enterprises on their part should
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Corruption has currently become one of the highly talked about issues in our own country. We very often hear about it on TV and the radio. We also read about it on newspapers. Despite its high media coverage, however, many of us have little information on the actual intensity and prevalence of the problem. Well, in that case, the corruption survey might be just what we need to get more informed. The survey was conducted by The Institute of Educational Research of the Addis Ababa University and submitted to The Ethics Sub-program of the Civil Service Reform Program that contracted the project. The Survey used three types of respondents to gather information. These are: - households, business entrepreneurs and public officials. Let's check out each group's replies. |
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Household
Survey The household questionnaire outlined various socio-economic problems out of which corruption was rated as one of the most serious. As to the prevalence and magnitude of corruption in various service giving public institutions, the survey identified at least two clear-cut categories. These are public institutions that have: - 1. Wide contact with the public, wide corruption in terms of coverage but small in terms of magnitude. Such institutions include health and education facilities, utilities such as electricity, water and sewerage, telecommunications and traffic police. For instance, the survey ranked Traffic Police second, next to Customs' Office, in requesting bribes from customers, with 67% of those having contact with them asked to pay bribes of whom 99% paid; the average payment was around 80 birr. 2. Little degree of contact with the public, but selective and large magnitude of corruption. Such institutions include the Commercial Bank of Ethiopia, (CBC) Customs' Office and company registration. This category can best be represented by The CBE. Though the bank ranks as the least in terms of both requests for bribes and the percentage of people who pay from those asked to pay, the general amount of money paid for bribes gives us a big number. The survey shows that only 4.5% of 505 valid respondents (17 people) were asked to pay bribes by banking officials, and around 80% of those asked complied with the request. The average payment in this case was 1200 birr. A large portion of the sample identified the customs' offices as the most corrupt. Land allocation, national housing, judges and the court system, and the tax system respectively were those institutions up the corruption ladder just behind customs services. The Postal Services, Public Insurance Companies and The Passport Administration Office are those deemed very good service providers next to the CBE. |
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Business
Environment Survey The sampled firms are mostly engaged in distributive trade such as tourism, restaurants, and manufacturing. The firms reported that the overall quality of the public services they receive is very poor. The sampled firms were asked to judge, on a four point scale, how problematic factors such as financing, infrastructure, availability and price of inputs, availability and price of skilled workers, cost of labour, insufficient demand, taxes and regulations, political uncertainties, inflation, etc are for the operation of firms. More than three quarters of the surveyed firms identified corruption as the most serious obstacle faced by firms in their operation, followed by political uncertainty and firm related regulations. More than 50% of the sampled firms rate the services provided by the public health, police (excluding traffic police), tax division and land allocation as the worst. Public education, traffic police, customs' office, judges\court officials, electricity, telephone, public housing agency, and councils (elected representatives) are the second worst public organizations in providing services to firms. The passport office, postal service, and the Commercial Bank of Ethiopia are identified as very good service providers by more than half of the sampled firms. |
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Public
Officials The public officials survey was conducted in eleven regions selected as locations of the study. A total of 1006 officials from the executive, legislative, judiciary and parastatals were interviewed. The officials held interview sessions with the survey teams on a variety of issues covering such areas as personnel management, budget and procurement management, service delivery by public organizations, information and management, intra and inter-agency communication, resources and performance, measures needed for improving undertakings, and governance and state capture. On the issue of clarity, transparency and fairness of decision-making in personnel management, a minority of respondents claimed a clear absence of such practices. The same holds true for the practice of announcing and auditing management decisions. This same situation extends to the minority view that qualified persons do not get employment and guidelines and policies are not formalized in writing. The majority of the officials consider relationship with supervisors, political, ethnic and regional connections and providing gifts as highly unimportant for getting employment, greater remuneration, and training opportunities. About 60% of the officials think that working in private firms is better than working in the public sector. The same percentage of the surveyed officials mentioned that they are not satisfied with their pay. |
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Recommendations Finally, the survey makes some recommendations on the things the government may do to curb and eventually eliminate corruption in the country. These are: - sustainable political will and committed top-leadership, minimizing information asymmetry, aggressive, honest and accountable judicial and law enforcement system, careful political control of the bureaucracy, independence of judicial and bureaucratic institutions from political abuse, transparency when government agencies' deal with businesses, and proper training and realistic salaries for civil servants. |
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