Govt to monitor donor-funded projects to curb corruption

Tue, 13 Dec 2016 14:46:56 +0000

By Aaron Chiyanzo

GOVERNMENT will strictly monitor donor funded projects in order to curb any form of corruption or spot out any misappropriation of funds to avoid donors from withdrawing their money, ministry of National and Development permanent secretary Auxillia Ponga has said.

Speaking during a program on ZNBC, Dr Ponga explained that most of the donor funded projects in Zambia were stalling because donors had withdrawn funding upon receipt of information that there corruption or misappropriation of funds allocated to the project.

She disclosed that donors also withdraw funding or transfer it to another outstanding project if it was discovered that works were not on course.

Dr Ponga warned that Government would monitor projects strictly and not be lenient on those who would involve themselves in corrupt practices.

“Donors withdraw funding once they discover issues of corruption and misappropriation of funds and why some projects remain uncompleted for some time. We don’t want this to happen this time, so I will make sure I deal stiffly with those within my mandate” she said.

Dr Ponga further disclosed that Government also contributed about 10 percent funding in all donor funded projects and that projects were delayed to commence because of delays by government in releasing the money.

Meanwhile, the Hope for Human Rights (HHR) has welcomed President Edgar Lungu’s directive to reshuffle civil servants. HHR communications and public affairs officer Francis Brotherton noted that people who had stayed at a work place for a long time eventually tend to get involved in corrupt practices.

Mr Brotherton welcomed President Lungu’s directive to reshuffle civil servants, adding that the move would ensure that corruption was reduced in workplaces.

Mr Brotherton noted that it took some time for workers who had been transferred to start cutting deals at their new workplace.

Mr Brotherton pointed out that reshuffling civil servants was another alternative for fighting corruption in workplaces.

He said that even the late President Michael Sata used to reshuffle his ministers from one ministry to the other so as to avoid corruption.

“The late President Sata had reasons why he was changing ministers every now and then. People start taking the workplace like their own home when the stay too long” said Mr Brotherton.