Namibia
News and blog
Southern Africa’s fight against corruption needs Collective Action
A high-level meeting of heads of anti-corruption agencies in the Southern African Development Community SADC last month was a chance to take stock of member countries’ efforts to tackle corruption. The meeting allowed for a reflection on many ongoing activities and discussions around Collective Action in the region this year. It was the perfect opportunity to reflect on how to galvanise joint efforts against the region’s biggest scourge. Speaking to delegates, Scarlet Wannenwetsch, Collective Action Specialist, highlighted the underused capacity of the private sector. Businesses are full of dynamism and talent, both of which are critical in fighting corruption and other transnational crimes. To harness the private sector’s potential, she emphasised the importance of building trust by fostering regional multi-stakeholder networks. Bringing together anti-corruption champions from the public sector, private sector and civil society helps to create “good” networks – ones powerful enough to fight the corrupt networks that are holding back development in the region. Appetite for engagement The Basel Institute has been a long-standing partner of the SADC Secretariat through the work of the Private Sector team. Our team has been impressed by the level of innovation in the region. Some feature in a publication capturing good practices that was created by, with and for anti-corruption agencies in Africa. We have also been training SADC corruption prevention officers on how to engage with the private sector through Collective Action approaches. Our partners consistently express a desire for more opportunities to engage and exchange with other stakeholders. They realise that no one group can tackle corruption alone. Working towards building a community of practice To sow the seeds for such a regional multi-stakeholder network, we launched the first Southern African Anti-Corruption Collective Action Forum earlier this year in collaboration with the Southern African Anti-Corruption Network SAACoN and The Ethics Institute. The event brought together participants from the private sector, civil society and government institutions to discuss concrete opportunities for learning and collaboration. For many, it was the first time they had met at the regional level. The event was also a chance to celebrate progress. CoST Uganda won our Southern Africa Anti-Corruption Collective Action Award for its outstanding achievements in tackling corruption and raising business integrity in the region. What’s next? In order to build on the momentum of the Forum and on the energy of the SADC region’s anti-corruption leaders, it is crucial that member states continue to prioritise collaboration and Collective Action. Government anti-corruption agencies needs close, sustained collaboration with the private sector and civil society if they want to develop a more inclusive strategy to prevent corruption – and if they want that strategy to actually work in practice. That applies not only at the country and sector level, but at the regional level too. And that’s what Collective Action can bring. We look forward to continuing our fruitful collaboration with the SADC Secretariat and wider partners to support anti-corruption Collective Action in the region. Learn more about our work on the B20 Collective Action Hub and find inspiration in its global database of initiatives.
Ten-country Advanced Operational Analysis training offers chance to reflect on the effectiveness of AML systems
Twenty anti-corruption investigators and financial intelligence analysts from 10 African countries completed an intensive Advanced Operational Analysis course last week hosted by the Commonwealth Africa Anti-Corruption Centre CAACC . Delivered online by our International Centre for Asset Recovery ICAR training team, the workshop blended eLearning modules with live video sessions in which the participants worked together to solve a simulated corruption case. Enhancing mutual understanding The participants came from anti-corruption agencies and Financial Intelligence Units FIUs in Botswana, South Africa, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, Kenya, Namibia, Mauritius, Zambia and Lesotho. As usual in ICAR training programmes, the multi-agency approach helped participants to better understand each other’s needs and roles. FIU analysts were encouraged to tailor their intelligence products to the needs of investigators in law enforcement agencies. In turn, investigators learnt how an FIU operates by taking the Operational Analysis eLearning module and solving the simulated case. By the end of the week, participants fully understood the value of breaking silos down, of exchanging information and coordinating their actions, nationally and regionally. Reflecting on FATF mutual evaluations The training was also an opportunity for the participants to reflect on the lessons learnt from the recent Financial Action Task Force FATF evaluations of Mauritius, Zambia and Botswana. These three countries have undergone an FATF fourth-round evaluation, which covers the effectiveness of national systems to combat money laundering and terrorist financing and not merely technical compliance with FATF Recommendations. The Basel AML Index, which assesses the risk of money laundering and terrorist financing around the world, has consistently noted that countries typically fall down the rankings when assessed with the new methodology. The participants together looked at ways to enhance effectiveness in the use of financial intelligence for money laundering investigations, as well as in investigations, prosecutions and the confiscation of assets. Impact and collaboration This impact-driven training aimed to provide participants with skills that are directly applicable in their daily work. We were happy to receive participants’ comments including “it touched on similarities of the case I am currently investigating” and “the financial analysis will improve the presentation of my case”. One participant commented that the training will “help me in investigating suspicious transaction reports that I recently received”. The Basel Institute has a long-standing relationship with the Botswana-based CAACC and has conducted previous workshops in 2017 and 2020. See our article about the 2020 workshop on Financial Investigations and Asset Recovery for more information about the CAACC and our fruitful collaboration. ICAR training in multiple languages To find out more about ICAR training programmes, please download our latest brochure in English, Spanish, French or Portuguese: English: Training programmes – Financial investigations and asset recovery Español: Programas de capacitación – Investigaciones financieras y recuperación de activos Français : Programmes de formation – Enquêtes financières et recouvrement d’avoirs Português: Programas de formação – Investigações financeiras e recuperação de activos
ICAR supports Namibia’s Financial Intelligence Centre to grapple with money laundering
Financial Intelligence Units FIUs , which represent a country’s official authority for receiving financial information disclosures, are regularly at the forefront of tackling money laundering and terrorist financing. Not surprisingly, they also play a critical role in the asset recovery process. An increasing number of investigations leading to the tracing, identification, seizing/freezing and confiscation of illegal assets are triggered by FIU reports to law enforcement agencies. Experts from the International Centre for Asset Recovery ICAR , at the request of the Financial Intelligence Centre of Namibia FIC , recently conducted a workshop on Advanced Operational Analysis in Windhoek, Namibia. It was attended by 27 participants, including financial analysts from the FIC, representatives from the Namibian Anti-Corruption Commission, the Namibian Police Force, the Office of the Prosecutor-General, the Ministry of Finance and the Office of the President. This novel training programme combines ICAR’s e-learning module Advanced Operational Analysis, based on the Egmont Tactical Analysis course, with an interactive room exercise involving a real-life simulated operational analysis case scenario. The workshop is furthermore interspersed with occasional short lectures on the Namibian criminal framework and how this framework is best applied in such cases. A key aspect of the training was the emphasis on inter-agency cooperation and coordination. A high-level panel discussion involving the main stakeholders dissected the challenges in Namibia and discussed possible solutions such as the establishment of a multi-disciplinary investigative task force. One senior financial analyst from the FIC said that it was the best training she had ever attended on the topic and participants from the law enforcement agencies expressed their strong appreciation for this excellent opportunity to learn more about how the FIC operates and how they themselves might better benefit from the FIC’s intelligence products.
Judicial retreat on proceeds of crime and money laundering in Namibia
From 13 to 16 July 2015, the United Nations Office on Drugs on Crime UNODC , the Asset Recovery Inter-Agency Network of South Africa ARINSA , the Government of the Republic of Namibia, the Eastern and Southern Africa Anti-Money Laundering Group ESAAMLG and the International Center of Asset Recovery ICAR conducted a workshop for senior judges and magistrates from Eastern and Southern Africa on proceeds of crime and money laundering in Swakopmund, Namibia. The workshop programme was designed to raise awareness and to find solutions for the international fight against money laundering, financing and promotion of terrorism, and confiscation of assets gained through criminal activities. Over 40 judges and magistrates from Eastern and Southern Africa attended the seminar. The workshop incorporated practical sessions on a number of relevant topics including introduction to money laundering and proceeds of crime, financial investigation, human rights and constitutional considerations, restraining orders, money laundering prosecutions, confiscation and forfeiture hearings.
Publications
Engaging the private sector in Collective Action against corruption: A practical guide for anti-corruption agencies in Africa
This guidance seeks to capture and explore the innovative approaches that African governments have developed to address the demand and supply sides of corruption more effectively and sustainably. It is designed to help government institutions, in particular national anti-corruption agencies, engage with the private sector more effectively to prevent corruption.
The document highlights good practices identified through interviews, desk research and a 2021 Southern African Development Community (SADC) training on “Emerging anti-corruption issues and private-sector engagement for SADC anti-corruption agencies”.
Africa offers many examples of innovative, unique and context-sensitive approaches to engage the private sector in anti-corruption efforts. Ghana’s National Anti-Corruption Action Plan, for instance, offers an award scheme and is looking into providing tax benefits to companies that enforce anti-corruption measures and demonstrate leadership in the fight against corruption. Other agencies and governments in the region, such as Morocco, are currently discussing implementing a reward system for compliant companies that can be considered when companies bid for public tenders.
These examples demonstrate how African governments proactively seek to tackle corruption and collaborate with the private sector.
From the initiatives captured, three common strategic approaches can be identified to underpin effective and impactful engagement:
- Raising awareness, guiding and working with the private sector to more effectively address corruption risks.
- Identifying and providing incentives to companies investing in their compliance programmes.
- Demonstrating leadership by actively participating in Collective Action and public-private partnerships.
This document is a follow-up of a practical global guide published in July 2022 and was produced with the support of the Siemens Integrity Initiative.
It is freely shareable under a Creative Commons CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 licence. Please credit the Basel Institute on Governance.