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Zambia’s latest Corruption Perception Index (CPI) score shows a slight reduction in corruption levels in the country with, a score of 39 out of 100 and 92 out of 180 countries in the world.
The CPI scores were based on perceptions of corruption in the public sector, gathered from experts and surveys of business people and Zambia’s score was derived from nine external sources, including the World Bank and private risk and consulting firms.
Transparency International Zambia (TI-Z) Advocacy, Policy and Research Manager, Bright Chizonde, presented the CPI in Lusaka on Tuesday at the Radisson Blu Hotel.
Zambia’s score improved by 2 points, from 37 in 2023 to 39, and moved 6 places on the ranking from 98 to 92 globally, the highest since 2012, according to Chizonde.
“The 2 points improvement has been attributed to government reforms such as the digitization of the mining license application process,” he said.
Additionally, strengthened beneficial ownership requirements in procurement and the adoption of service charters in public institutions.
Chizonde, however, noted that despite Zambia’s CPI score improvement, at 39 out of 100, it still falls below the global average of 43 adding that more had to be done for the country to improve.
Similary, TIZ Chapter President, Priscilla Chansa, called for improvements in combating public sector corruption to ensure continued progress in Zambia’s cpi score and restore public confidence in governance.
“This improvement, though modest, reflects progress in specific areas. One of the major drivers of Zambia’s CPI improvement in 2024 is the reduction of bribery in business operations, facilitated by key government reforms,” Chansa said.
She stated that the digitization of the mining license application process, strengthened beneficial ownership requirements in procurement, and the adoption of service charters in public institutions have all contributed to a more transparent business environment.
Chansa said the reforms demonstrated that reducing human contact in providing government services and enhancing transparent business practices reduced the perception of public sector corruption.
“However, we would like to caution that this is not a time for complacency as the rate of improvement has slowed, dropping from a four-point increase in 2023 to just two points in 2024,” she cautioned.
Chansa called for immediate corrective action to be undertaken to avoid the risk of stagnating or worse, regressing in 2025.
She said despite the modest improvement in the CPI score, significant challenges remained, one of the most concerning of which was the growing perception of corruption within the legal system.
Meanwhile, Ministry of Justice Permanent Secretary for Administration Isabelle Lemba said although marginal, the two points improvement in the cpi is worth celebrating as it reflects government’s effort in the fight against corruption in the public sector.
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