Uganda, Singapore sign deal to fight corruption
Delegation from the Directorate of Ethics and Integrity during the virtual signing ceremony between Uganda and Chandler Institute of Governance in Kampala on April 8, 2025. Photo/Shabibah Nakirigya
What you need to know:
- Mr Neng said that the two parties will continue working together in key areas including leadership and technical capability development, systems and toolkit design, integrity and culture building, and international knowledge exchange.
The Ugandan government has intensified its fight against corruption in the public sector by signing a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Chandler Institute of Governance (CIG) based in Singapore.
During the signing ceremony held in Kampala on Tuesday, Mr Dunstan Balaba, Permanent Secretary in the Directorate of Ethics and Integrity in the Office of the President, signed on behalf of the Ugandan government. He noted that the MOU is aimed at strengthening public sector performance, accountability, and integrity through the implementation of an integrity scorecard.
“We have spent some good time with this collaboration but we now come to have it on the paper so that there [are] clear roles and responsibilities that are going to be undertaken to fight against corruption,” he said.
Mr Balaba added that the partnership would focus on several areas, including leadership development initiatives for the public sector, capacity building, training, and benchmarking visits between the two countries.
“The partnership will also focus on initiative and projects to enhance and strengthen public sector performance, accountability, integrity and governance,” he said.
He added that the integrity scorecard will be central to the collaboration, providing a measurable basis for governance reforms. The partnership will also facilitate international exchange programs for public service employees, starting with benchmarking visits by permanent secretaries to Singapore before the end of the current financial year.
“There will be facilitation and international exchange of programs for public service employees, revealing that very soon before this financial year the permanent secretaries will be visiting Singapore to undertake the benchmarking,” he said.
The agreement also covers the development of research, analytical reports, and knowledge publications.
“We have decided to partner with Singapore because we wanted to study the situation, we know where they started from and where they are,” Mr Balaba said.
He noted Uganda’s aspiration to reach Singapore’s level of governance and accountability.
Mr Wu Wei Neng from the Chandler Institute of Governance said the MOU formalizes and deepens collaboration on strengthening public sector performance and governance.
“The MOU establishes a structured framework to guide the ongoing and future joint endeavors between Uganda and CIG,” he said.
Mr Neng added that the two parties will continue working together in key areas including leadership and technical capability development, systems and toolkit design, integrity and culture building, and international knowledge exchange.
Mr Fixon Akonya Akonye, Uganda’s Internal Auditor General, welcomed the partnership, saying it comes at a critical time when the country is undergoing multiple reforms that require stronger compliance with governance laws.
“This can be supported with the available institutions which can help to fulfill the missing gaps in the fight against corruption especially in public sectors,” he said.
He noted that corruption is not unique to Uganda.
“It’s on record that corruption is not a Ugandan problem but a worldwide problem; however, we are doing our best to make sure that we work on it,” he said.
“The current constitution we have gave powers to different institutions of government to make sure that we address the issues with different parties,” he added.
