As March kicks off, we reflect on the successes of a joint ethics training program held in Lagos earlier in the year. On January 25, CIPE and the Abuja Chamber of Commerce and Industries (ACCI) held the first in a series of procurement integrity bootcamps tagged “Procurement Integrity for Transparency and Shared Prosperity” for 16 vendor companies and 6 senior officers of the procurement department of the Independent Corrupt Practices Commission (ICPC). In December 2023, CIPE committed to supporting the Independent Corrupt Practices Commission’s objective of improving integrity in its procurement pool by promoting business ethics.
Following the business integrity workshop, CIPE and ACCI experts engaged the participants with a series of thought-provoking case studies, interactive exercises, experience sharing, and real-life case scenarios. These activities facilitated learning and elicited feedback and insights about the critical issues, norms, and challenges to operating with integrity. Incorporating awareness that culture trumps strategy, these workshops aim to gradually dislodge the norms that enable corruption and introduce strategic changes to corporate and individual patterns of operation within each business.
Participants expressed how profoundly valuable the lessons from the bootcamp were for their businesses and were curious about how they could be scaled to other government departments and agencies. “If we get it right in ICPC, how about the hundreds of other departments and agencies of government where we also bid?” asked one participant.
Applying a wholly business-centered solution and initiative to meet cross-sectoral (public and private) corruption challenges is quite uncharted territory. The innovative nature of the Ethics 1st tool lends itself to dynamic application for transformative change.
The anti-corruption learning process in the private sector is a continuous one of training engagements and feedback. As one workshop participant mentioned, “With ethical training, the multiplier effect of integrity in procurement processes is so huge that the whole country will benefit.” Another participant, an engineer, called for an expansion of the business integrity training to cover all government contractors and make Ethics 1st training a compulsory requirement for bidding for contracts.
CIPE and ACCI’s procurement integrity initiative brings a new sense of responsibility to Nigeria’s business community — a responsibility that emphasizes achieving a more competitive, fair, efficient, and accountable public procurement and contracting process. This requires the full commitment of the business community to deliver on the promise of shared prosperity and democratic development to Nigerians.
Please visit Ethics 1st to learn more about how to partner and think innovatively in the fight against corruption.
Published Date: March 04, 2024