CoST Uganda wins prestigious Anti-Corruption Collective Action Award 2023. Unifies multi-stakeholders to strengthen business integrity.

CoST Uganda, the Ugandan arm of the global Infrastructure Transparency Initiative has won the prestigious Anti-Corruption Collective Action Award for its outstanding achievements in tackling corruption and raising standards of business integrity in the southern African region

The award that was presented at the Southern Africa Anti-Corruption Collective Action Forum was received by Eng. Joe Chingani, the Multi-Stakeholder Group Chairperson for CoST Malawi, on behalf of CoST Uganda, signifies that CoST International is a unified Family of Infrastructure Transparency Advocates.

On receipt of Anti-Corruption Collective Action Award 2023,  Gilbert Sendugwa -The CoST Senior Regional Manager- Africa and Executive Director, Africa Freedom of Information Centre (AFIC) attributed the win to CoSt Uganda and other stakeholders’ collective work to increase disclosure and undertake assurance processes that have given meaning to the disclosed data.

Gilbert Sendugwa -The CoST Senior Regional Manager- Africa and Executive Director, AFIC

“This Award is not just for CoST Uganda but for the government, private sector and civil society partners that have worked together to increase disclosure, undertake assurance processes to give meaning to disclosed data, and most importantly government’s commitment to implement recommended reforms. This award inspires us to continue on this path” said Gilbert Sendugwa,

A statement from CoST Uganda partly reads “We are truly obliged for this great honour and recognition given by the Jury of judges at the Basel Institute of Good Governance on the First shortlist and the hundreds of stakeholders all over the World who gave us the public votes that enabled us to win”

Olive Kabatwairwe, Africa Regional Manager and Coordinator, CoST Uganda expressed gratitude for the milestone and appreciation to the infrastructure transparency stakeholders including the Government of Uganda, the Champion Ministry of Works and Transport, Procurement Entities, the private sector, The Media, Civil Society, and the people of Uganda for having provided us with an enabling environment to implement the CoST approach and address recommendations.

“It is an infinite honour to win this Award which reveals the growing need for Infrastructure Transparency in Uganda and beyond. It is indeed a great pleasure to the people of Uganda, our stakeholders and the global CoST Family to celebrate this success while we are challenged to do more.  An Africa without Infrastructure Transparency means poorly constructed public projects at the expense of citizens. It is pertinent that Governments, the Private sector and civil society jointly work together through the CoST approach of Disclosure, Assurance, Multi-stakeholder working and social accountability to remove all impediments that affect the delivery of quality infrastructure, stronger economies and better lives. To the Basel Institute of Good Governance, thank you for this recognition, to all our voters, and the people of Uganda, Hongera sana!” said Olive Kabatwairwe

The award according to CoST Uganda confirms the value of Infrastructure Transparency in the delivery of public infrastructure projects in Uganda and beyond, and the outstanding performance in enhancing transparency and accountability in the public infrastructure sector through promotion of disclosure of infrastructure data, periodic, independent review of disclosed data, technical assistance and broad consultative cooperation with key stakeholders in government, private sector and local communities.

CoST Uganda initiatives:

CoST Uganda supports the central goal of the global CoST initiative of promoting transparency, accountability and citizen participation in public infrastructure investments which enhances data disclosure on infrastructure projects to inform and empower businesses and citizens.

CoST Uganda through the FCDO’s Business Integrity Initiative (BII) with support from CoST International Secretariat has since 2020 promoted integrity and fairness in infrastructure procurement using the multi-stakeholder approach in Uganda.

Through the Business Integrity Initiative (BII), and learning from experiences of our Assurance Processes, and various research, CoST Uganda progressively turned this situation around specifically through; promoting better data disclosure through the Open Contracting for Infrastructure Data Standard (IDS) which has been integrated into the Government Procurement Portal (GPP) and enabling disclosure across projects in Uganda; increasing competition in doing business with government agencies; and, strengthening transparency in procurement processes for infrastructure projects.

Olive Kabatwairwe, Africa Regional Manager and Coordinator, CoST Uganda after receiving the Award in November 2022

In November 2022,  CoST Uganda won the first CoST International Global award as the best performing Member programme implementing the CoST approach that has documented results at various levels in a nearly few years of implementation.