Kigali: Rwanda is set to host the International Anti-Corruption Excellence Award (ACE Award) on 9 December 2019 at the Kigali Convention Centre.
An initiative of the Government of Qatar, the ACE Award is presented annually on International Anti-Corruption Day, in cooperation with the Vienna-based United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC).
Johnston Busingye, Rwanda’s Minister of Justice and Attorney General, said: “Rwanda is honoured to welcome all distinguished guests, including Heads of State, who will attend the ACE Award Ceremony. We look forward to hosting this important award that seeks to recognise excellence in the fight against corruption and inspire continued action to promote integrity and accountability.”
At the 9th Commonwealth Regional Conference and Review Meeting of Heads of Anti-Corruption Agencies in Africa held in Kampala-Uganda from 6th to 10th May 2019, the Rwandan Ombudsman Anastase Murekezi shared experience of Rwanda in fighting corruption where is said that Rwanda is experiencing in public procurement by using technology.
He said “In the two years ever since the introduction of E-procurement/bidding and E-payment systems, 164 institutions are so far using the systems to fight against Corruption in Rwanda”.
The annual event is being hosted by the government of Rwanda and will take place at a time when the country is recognized as one of the five least corrupt countries in Sub-Saharan Africa, according to Transparency International’s latest (2018) Corruption Perception Index.
The ACE Award is an initiative of the Government of Qatar and is presented annually on International Anti-Corruption Day in cooperation with the Vienna-based United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC).
It seeks to raise awareness, support, and solidarity to combat corruption and encourage new initiatives in pursuit of corruption-free societies.
Lately, Rwanda has improved by one point to score 56 out of 100, making it one of the five least corrupt countries in Sub-Saharan Africa, according to the 2018 CPI. In the 2010 CPI, Rwanda was ranked 66th out of 178 countries. Today, in east Africa, Rwanda is the least corrupt country while, globally, it is ranked 48th.
The award was established to shine a light on the fight against corruption across the world.
There are four categories of the ACE Award in the global fight against corruption:
1. Lifetime/Outstanding Achievement
2. Innovation
3. Academic Research & Education
4. Youth Creativity & Engagement