The political will to enhance transparency and accountability are key factors to implementing the zero-tolerance approach against corruption in Rwanda, Prime Minister, Dr. Edouard Ngirente, has said. “By way of illustration, the offence of corruption is not subject to any statute of limitations in Rwandan laws. This implies that prosecution of corruption crimes has no time limit,” he observed. The Premier was speaking as he officiated at the 12th Regional Conference of Heads of Anti-corruption agencies in Commonwealth Africa. Underscoring the need for political will in stamping out corruption, Commonwealth Secretary-General, Patricia Scotland QC said “What we need is the political will to address one of the most pernicious and destructive elements in our world – and that is corruption. And without that political will, we can do little.” Commonwealth Secretary-General, Patricia Scotland QC and Prime Minister Ngirente in a group photo with other senior delegates at the conference. Ngirente said that since 2006 Rwanda adopted the performance contracts system, commonly known as Imihigo in order to promote accountability and transparency. Under this system, every year, public servants sign performance contracts with their managers/supervisors or heads of institutions. This, the PM said, is done at all levels of administration, from the local district to ministries and embassies. In that spirit of preventing and fighting any form of corruption, the Government of Rwanda aims at using Information and Communication Technology (ICT) to ease service delivery to its citizens, Ngirente told the conference participants. “So far, key government services are currently accessed online,” he said. Also, he indicated that different other electronic systems were developed and are now in use including the Integrated Electronic Case Management System (IECMS) in justice sector, the Integrated Financial Management System (IFMS), the e-recruitment system [for public service] as well as the e-procurement [for public tenders]. Chief Ombudsman, Madeleine Nirere, said that such online systems have contributed to curbing corruption as they reduce contacts between the service seeker and providers, hence tackling loopholes for graft. The aforementioned conference is held under the theme “Combatting Corruption for Good Governance and Sustainable Development in Africa” is very important. Ngirente indicated that this theme is in line with Africas Agenda 2063 known as “The Africa we want”— aspiration number three, which provides for an Africa of good governance, democracy, and respect for human rights, justice and the rule of law. “This clearly illustrates the firm commitment of African leaders to uphold the culture of the rule of law and good governance,” he said. Almost every African country, he said, has specialised anti-corruption agencies to address specific crimes and malpractices including illicit flows, money laundering, embezzlement and conflict of interest among others. Meanwhile, the Premier pointed out that several reports have indicated that global corruption is now costing around $1 trillion annually. “This has severe effects on the lives of our people. This cost is very high and continues to weaken the resilience of our communities,” he said. “Corruption creates economic distortions and hampers investments. Investors who deserve a fair and competitive business environment will avoid investing in countries where there is a high level of corruption,” he observed. Ngirente said that Commonwealth Africa member states can make a difference in this fight against corruption through strengthened cooperation and effective accountability mechanisms. “As corruption continues to emerge in more sophisticated forms, we need to come up with innovative ways to prevent and address this evolving crime,” he said. “It is my expectation that this Conference will come up with concrete anti-corruption measures and public sector management practices based on the rule of law, transparency and accountable governance,” he remarked.
