By NAKUBIANA MUMBUNA –
ACTION for Transparency Zambia (A4T) has appealed to communities to break the silence on corruption.
A4T is a pioneering project that fights corruption and mismanagement of public funds by putting the power to monitor the vice in the hands of citizens through the use of latest technology.
The project is funded by the Swedish International Development Agency (SIDA) and managed by Fojo Media Institute at Linnaeus University.
A4T coordinator, Andrew Miti said many people, especially at the grassroots, were afraid to report suspected corruption because of fear.
The project, he said, was basically trying to break the culture of silence by introducing people to the A4T app which allowed them to report suspected corruption easily, quickly and anonymously.
He said as part of the activities, the project was carrying out awareness activities in Lusaka communities, educating people on the importance of reporting corruption in their communities.
The ground-breaking project is being implemented in the health and education sectors in Lusaka District only but may be rolled out to the rest of the sectors if successful.
Mr Miti explained that people could now report suspected corruption in an efficient and anonymous manner by visiting the A4T official website at (www.actionfortransparency.org) or downloading for free the project mobile app.
“By visiting the A4T website, people can know how much has been allocated or spent on their schools and clinics. Equipped with this knowledge, they can question or even report suspected mismanagement of
public funds or corruption by using a mobile phone.
“The report will then be published on our website, facebook or even on the Transparency International website. Prosecution authorities such as the ACC may even take action,” Mr Miti said.
The project is being implemented by the Zambia Institute of Mass Communication Educational Trust ZAMCOM in collaboration with the Anti-corruption Commission (ACC) and Transparency International Zambia (TIZ).
The project has already conducted sensitisation activities in Linda, Mandevu and Kabanana townships, and more would follow in other townships, and the feedback from members of the public was overwhelming.
Mr Miti said it had come to the attention of project officials during the awareness drives that many cases of corruption were going unreported in the communities because of fear.
“This is why are equipping community members with knowledge on how to track resources allocated to clinics and schools within their communities,” Mr Miti said.