U4 Helpdesk Query

The query has been answered in two parts:

Part I provides information and resources related to preparation and implementation of national anti-corruption action plans and strategies in general. Some of the resources suggested in that part are focused on the African region but the aim of Part I is to provide some resources on the subject globally.

Part II specifically focuses on anti-corruption action plans and strategies in African countries, with resources containing examples of such action plans (their strengths, challenges and some lessons learnt) from sub-Saharan Africa. Given the urgent nature of the query, the Helpdesk had limited time to work on it, but would be happy to look into any specific sub-area of the query that you might be particularly interested in exploring further.

Part I. Resources on National Anti-Corruption Action Plans in General

Country action plans have been defined as prioritized arrays of strategic reform efforts sequenced to mainstream anti-corruption measures throughout a country's governance and integrity system. While there is no blue print for designing and implementing successful country plans and each has to be tailored to a country's specific circumstances and local realities, some of the underlying success factors are that the action plans must be based on careful needs-assessment; be participatory, have local ownership and be driven by political will to ensure sustainability; be measurable and inform the initiation of concrete reforms. There is a certain amount of information available on the topic. Below are some selected resources on this that might be of particular relevance, with summary descriptions:

Country-specific Technical Assistance to Develop Anticorruption Action Plans and Strategies (WBI)
Description: the document, although set to be a guide describing WB's process for assisting countries in development and implementation of national action plans, can also be used as a general resource to consult that describes the different stages involved in developing a national action plan and implementing it.

Country Action Plan Matrix (WBI)
Description: The document provides a format (as a blank table) to be used for mapping together a country anti-corruption action plan by identifying the problems, actions to be taken, outcomes and timeframes. The format-table is followed by a checklist of anti-corruption measures (covering a wide range of areas: from public sector reforms to legal enforcement, local government, public oversight and others) that such action plans should aim to contain.

Corruption and Anti-Corruption Strategies: Issues and Case Studies from Developing Countries (by Alan Doig and Stephen Riley, in
Corruption and Integrity Improvement Initiatives in Developing Countries, UNDP, 1998)
Description: Amongst other issues, the chapter discusses the applicability of universal approaches to designing and implementing effective anti-corruption efforts and strategies through conclusions drawn from case studies of Botswana, Ecuador, Hong Kong, Tanzania, Mali and Senegal. Having identified the need for individually-tailored strategies, the paper suggests that one core element in any successful anticorruption strategy is exceptional political and managerial will, which is necessary to promote and maintain anticorruption reform.

Anti-Corruption Strategies and Mechanisms in Southern Africa (by Philliat Matscheza and Constance Kunaka, in Human Rights Research and Documentation Trust of Southern Africa, Harare, 2000) Hard copy reference only.
Description: The study aims to identify existing mechanisms and strategies against corruption in the various countries of the region with a comparative analysis of their effectiveness and impact. The study identifies punishment, prevention and public education as the three main principles to be at the core of any national anti-corruption strategy. It also examines the main institutions and mechanisms most commonly used to combat corruption in the region and the respective legal framework governing those institutions with recommendations for improvement thereof. Although not globally relevant, the study is useful for practitioners focusing on the region.

Domestic Reform Strategies (Corruption and Good Governance, UNDP, New York, 1997)
Description: Government policies and strategies can control the risks and benefits of corruption - state the authors. Domestic anticorruption policy can both reduce corrupt opportunities as well as increase the probability of detection and punishment. The chapter discusses measures for reforming countries to consider that can lead to reduction in discretion and monopoly power of government officials, improved law enforcement, civil service reform, increased transparency and improved citizen oversight.

Part II. Resources drawing on Sub-Saharan Africa examples

A number of African countries have had or are in the process of formulating, developing and implementing national anti-corruption action plans and country strategies. Some of them have pursued the path of formulating specific documents containing the action plan/strategy, whereas some others do sequence anti-corruption measures and reforms but without a clearly defined action plan or a strategy paper. The mere existence of such a document is by no means indicative of success (as the resources above illustrate the strategies should be designed and implemented in accordance with some key underlying principles to be successful).

Amongst the countries that have an outlined strategy are Botswana, Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Malawi, Nigeria, South Africa, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia as well as Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon and Mali (source: TI-S Africa department working paper, October 2002). The experiences have differed and have been mixed. There is no such blue print to be used as a model and thus it is unrealistic to recommend one particular country approach to be used across the region, but some of the resources consulted have indicated that Ghana and Uganda have had some extensive experiences with the process and some lessons, both positive and negative, can be learnt from these cases. Summarised below are some regionally relevant resources:

Combating Corruption in Africa (Proceedings of Regional Learning Workshop, jointly organized by AfDB, AU, TI, WBI, GCA, Addis Ababa 2003) (the report is not public yet and not for circulation without prior agreement).
Description: the document contains reports from the workshop, including country reports from individual African countries as well as a regional overview. Session IV of the workshop was dedicated to National Strategies and Country Plans (see page 29).
The document summarises that the presentations had described various anticorruption strategies, categorised as national campaigns, local or citizen level campaigns, populist initiatives, and international efforts. Examples were given of efforts under each of these categories. It was noted that despite all these efforts, progress in halting corruption had been mixed. It was, therefore, time to examine afresh and start to build on experiences, particularly from Uganda and Ghana. One common problem inhibiting progress was noted to be that many programmes have been tightly controlled within a single government agency, with little or no involvement from civil society, the media, private sector and parliament. Among others, lack of consensus building and ownership of the process were also noted as some of the common problems.

Ghana's National Anti-Corruption Strategy/Country Action Plan
Description: the Action Plan (presented as a Matrix) and which seems to be a 'work in progress' type of document, identifies the problem areas in fighting corruption, the steps, if any, that have already been taken to address these problems, and the steps that need to be taken in the short, medium and long term. The programme also assesses a time frame for implementation of the programme and the expected results. The Matrix was developed by representatives from state institutions and non-governmental organisations in collaboration with the World Bank.

National Strategies for Combating Corruption: The Ghana Experience (by Y.B. Asamoa of African Development Bank for a regional learning workshop, Addis Ababa, 2003)
Description: The paper seeks to assess Ghana's experience through a review of the evolution of the Ghana Anti-Corruption Coalition (GACC) and the Action Plan that the GACC developed. It is a critical piece, which highlights the challenges that have been faced and contains a section on "lessons learnt" for planning and implementing action plans.

Government Strategy and Plan of Action to fight corruption and build ethics and integrity in public office fiscal years 2000/1-2002/3 (Government of Uganda)
Description: The document is produced by the Directorate of Ethics and Integrity of the office of the President and revisits and revises the past cycle of the country action plan, based on the lessons learnt and outlines country's strategy and the action plan for the covered time period.
Another related document to consult is: National Strategy for Mainstreaming Ethics and Integrity in all Sectors and all Institutions in Local Governance in Uganda

The Challenges of Reducing Corruption in a Changing Environment: The Case of Kenya (by Transparency International Kenya, May 2004)
Description: this is a synthesized snap shot of Kenya'a efforts to fight corruption as they presently stand, highlighting achievements and challenges. Section 5 describes the main pillars of Government's Anti-Corruption Strategy.