our work
June 26: Second Private Sector Forum
Following the first private sector forum in late April, KACE and CIPE conducted the second private sector forum on anti-corruption on June 26. Representatives from the Telecommunications Sector (MTN), Food Industry (Morouj), Banking (Sudanese Arabic Bank), Sudanese Businessmen and Employers’ Federation and the Industrial Chambers Union were present.
The attendees emphasized the low income of private sector workers, cultural acceptance of corruption and the troubling taxations of government employees as the root causes of corruption in the private sector. The group expressed particular concern around the fact that every factory is required to pay a total of 47 fees, ranging from transportation fees and VAT to waste management fees. The participants recommended that private companies and policymakers work proactively to forge stronger relationships, and also expressed interest in reforms to laws and taxation mechanisms
June 23rd: Third CSOs forum
Following the second CSOs forum that took place mid-June, KACE in partnership with CIPE ran the third CSOs forum on anti-corruption on June 23.
In contrast to the last discussion on corruption within CSOs, during this meeting the group discussed corruption outside the Sudanese CSOs through a Sudanese NGO lens. The participants called for more directly channeling external donations to the country strategic plan as well as avoiding resorting to corrupt practices when taking measures to fight corruption. Additionally, the attendees recommended reforming the Humanitarian Aid Commission to enable it to support CSOs more closely. In order to support CSOs more closely, the Commission would be expected to efficiently assist CSOs in the registration of their organizations, issue work permits, and eye and direct the activities of CSOs where appropriate. The attendees also expressed support for the Humanitarian Aid Commission taking a more active role in raising public awareness of corruption.
June 19: Second Media Sector Forum
Following a successful first forum on anti-corruption, KACE and CIPE conducted their second media forum on June 19. Influential journalists from various print and online papers attended the event.
The journalists had a rich discussion about corruption issues within the media sector in Sudan. Discussion topics included unethical head editors, toxic working environments and limited investigative departments in Sudanese media organizations. Participants also voiced their concerns about the impunity of telecommunications companies from media critiques due to their regular paid advertisements, as well as the exclusion of journalists from the drafting of media-related laws.
June 16: Second CSOs Forum On June 16, KACE in partnership with CIPE held the second Civil Society Organization (CSO) forum on anti-corruption. Professionals from the Sudanese Association for Consumer Protection, the No Impunity (La Iflat Min Al-Igab) Association, the Awareness (Waa’e) Organization, and the Geneva Institute for Human Rights attended the event, among others.
The attendees continued the 1st forum’s discussion on various types of corruption endemic in Sudan with a focus on corruption within the Sudanese CSO sector. The forum called for an exhaustive restructuring of the way CSOs acquire funds, as the current system benefits the professionals more than the beneficiaries. Participants also highlighted the importance of a protective law for whistleblowers and the need to mobilize the Humanitarian Aid Commission — the government supervisory body of CSOs — to review the CSOs’ financial reports with scrutiny.
June 12: 1st Public Sector Forum
On June 12, 2021, KACE in partnership with CIPE hosted a stakeholder forum for the Public Sector. The forum was attended by 15 representatives from different public sectors, which included the Central Bank of Sudan, the Ministry of Finance and Economic Planning, the Ministry of Urban Planning, the Ministry of Trade, the Committee for Dismantling the Past Regime among other critical public sector entities. The participants discussed challenges, best practices, and recommendations for fighting corruption in Sudan. The discussions covered various dimensions of corruption and discussed possible methods of uprooting the corrupt system of the past. The forum called for the digitalization of monetary processes of the government as well as creating a code of ethics for the government entities.
April 26: 1st Private Sector Forum
On April 26, KACE in partnership with CIPE initiated its first forum for the private sector. It was attended by 6 representatives from 5 different organizations with experience in anti-corruption in Sudan. The organizations included the Sudanese Businessmen and Employers’ Federation (SBEF), the SBEF External Relation Secretary, the Industrial Chambers Union and a participant from the Agricultural Production Entries sector.
Participants developed a list of recommendations at the end of the forum. Recommendations included: the wider digitalization of payments, licensing and other government-related procedures; auditing INGOs and UN Agency vendors and re-vetting them to increase the likelihood of fair competition; and the creation a WhatsApp group to discuss the upcoming forum agenda and include other businesswomen and representatives of new business sectors in the discussion. .
March 13: 1st Civil Society Organization Forum
On March 13, KACE in partnership with CIPE hosted a stakeholder forum for civil society organizations. The forum was attended by 9 individuals from 7 different organizations with experiences in anti-corruption in Sudan. The organizations included (1) Awareness (Waa’e) Organisation; (2) Aid (Awn) Organization; (3) Females (Niswa) Organization; (4) Darfur Attorneys Association; (5) Nuba Mountains Attorneys Association; (6) Insaf Campaign for Justice; and (7) the No Impunity (La Iflat Min Al-Igab) Association.
The participants discussed corruption issues within the local NGO environment, such as corrupt hiring practices, close management ties with specific political parties, and a lack of accountability for donors.
At the end of the forum the group developed a set of recommendations to bolster the capacity of organizations to pursue anti-corruption programs in Sudan. These recommendations included ensuring that there are clear and fixed standards to measure corruption; that CSOs focus on awareness-raising campaigns, that CSOs review the laws of the government to advocate for closing vulnerabilities; and the creation of more CSOs specializing in anti-corruption. KACE then created a WhatsApp group for the CSOs to discuss anti-corruption issues and coordinate future events.
February 20: 1st Media Sector Forum
On February 20, KACE in partnership with CIPE convened a forum with representatives in the media to discuss anti-corruption challenges and initiatives in the media sector. The event was moderated by Sudanese media expert and journalism scholar Al-hag Warrag and was attended by 13 influential journalists and media professionals.
The group discussed media sector challenges such as the lack of effectiveness of the Right to Information Law, low accessibility of data, low technical capacity of journalists, lack of protection of journalists, and lack of institutional support for investigative journalism. At the end of the conference, participants developed recommendations to address these challenges, including reforming the legal and media environments, capacity building for investigative journalists, and providing adequate protection for journalists.
Participants concluded the forum with plans for future action, including the idea to work with KACE on a “Journalists for Anti-Corruption Initiative,” and the creation of a WhatsApp group to plan future meetings.