The Namibian government has approached the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) to investigate training opportunities and share knowledge with Namibian Anti-Corruption Commission officers in the fight against corruption.
The Namibian government’s attitude was made clear on Friday when its Ambassador to Nigeria, Mr. Humphrey Geiseb, paid a courtesy call at the ICPC’s headquarters.
According to him, Nigeria holds an exalted position in the battle against corruption in Africa, and the expertise it possesses should be shared with other countries on the continent.
The Ambassador also revealed that Namibia had an anti-corruption agency known as the Anti-Corruption Commission of Namibia (ACC), and he suggested that the Commission would like to learn about Nigeria’s success story, particularly in the recovery of stolen assets by the ICPC and its sister agency, the EFCC.
“The fight against corruption is taking on new dimensions on the continent, and we believe Nigeria should take the lead in sharing its knowledge in the fight against corruption, with the aim that it will open its doors to other African countries like Namibia to learn.
“We believe that the ICPC and the EFCC should be able to go above and beyond in sharing their great achievements. It’s not good for Namibia to leave the continent.
While responding, ICPC Chairman Dr. Musa Adamu Aliyu, SAN, praised the attendance of the Namibian Ambassador to Nigeria at the launch of the ICPC’s Strategic Action Plan 2024-2028, emphasizing that the battle against corruption on the continent cannot be conducted in isolation.
He maintained that the Commission was always ready and willing to collaborate with other anti-corruption bodies on the continent to combat corruption in Africa, noting that the Anti-Corruption Academy of Nigeria (ACAN), the ICPC’s training arm, would be useful in meeting the Namibian Anti-Corruption Commission’s training requests.
“People who engage in corruption have networks. So, we, on the continent, need to band together to distort the illegal methods.
“By doing so, we will have effective government and a thriving foreign direct investment on the continent.
“We are aware of the MoU signed by my predecessor, Prof Bolaji Owasanoye, and I would like to emphasize that our doors are open for any assistance that the Namibian Anti-Corruption Commission may seek from us.
“We have our own Anti-corruption Academy where we train people, I believe when your people come, we can also learn from them as well,” according to the Chairman.
