-In collaboration with Open Government Partnership this week the UN Economic Commission for Africa will organize a Roundtable Dialogue to discuss how anti-corruption and open government reforms in Africa could transform the civil service and build trust between governments and their citizens.
The high-level Roundtable Dialogue will be convened under the theme: Building citizen trust through anti-corruption and open government reforms, on Sunday 29 April, on the margins of the Kigali 2018 Ibrahim Governance Weekend.
ECA's Executive Secretary Vera Songwe stresses that building trust between governments and their citizens and combatting corruption in public services are essential if African nations are to attain their goals of building a better, more just, peaceful and prosperous continent.
Songwe emphasizes that corruption is the most regressive tax. "It leaves the vulnerable and the poor further behind, it weighs on the continent's youthful spirit to innovate, to excel, and to prosper" she says. Adding that "while there has been progress on some fronts, significant effort is needed to convincingly tackle corruption. We must raise the stakes, improve the transparency and accountability (of our institutions), give voice and end impunity, time is not on our side".
According to Sanjay Pradhan, Chief Executive Officer of Open Government partnership, we need government, civil society, and other stakeholders to join forces to scale up transformative reforms such as open contracting and beneficial ownership transparency into global norms, into a new social compact where citizens shape and oversee open governments. "It is then that the open government movement can serve as a countervailing force to the global crisis of trust, prevail over the looming threats to democracy, and put citizens first", he says.
The Open Government Partnership comprises of 75 national and 20 local governments, including 15 in Africa, as well as thousands of civil societyorganizations.
The Kigali Roundtable Dialogue will also discuss how reformed and less corrupt African public services can contribute to efforts towards socio-economic transformation on the continent.
The meeting will attract prominent political and business leaders, UN senior officials, representatives from civil society, multilateral and regional institutions as well as Africa's major international partners.
