(3 minutes read)
The International Monetary Fund said that corruption had inflated the cost of numerous high-profile tenders and infrastructure projects in Zambia.
An IMF interdepartmental Governance Diagnostic Assessment mission conducted last year a study focused on governance weaknesses and corruption vulnerabilities at the request of the local authorities. The study revealed serious weakness across all state functions including public financial management and granting and managing contracts in the mining sector.
Enormous financial resources are invested in infrastructure projects, such as road construction, providing avenues for corruption, especially in the award of tenders. The political connections allowed members of the elite to bend the rules and access lucrative contracts, the 96-page report read.
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The IMF diagnostic study says corruption became particularly institutionalized during the 2016-2021 period. Zambia’s current leader vowed, upon his election two years ago, to show “zero tolerance” for graft. Hakainde Hichilema’s first targets were members of the government of his predecessor. Many arrests however ended in bail, with defendants denying the charges.
