The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) has unveiled its Ethics and Integrity Compliance Scorecard for Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs) in 2023.
In a tweet from its official account, ICPC outlined the purpose of the Scorecard, which evaluates MDAs’ compliance with ethics, integrity, statutes, policies, and regulations based on three key performance indicators: Management Culture and Structure (MCS), Financial Management Systems (FMS), and Administrative Systems (AS).
The report highlighted the findings from the 2023 Ethics and Integrity Compliance Scorecard deployment. Notably, 26.36% (97 MDAs) did not conduct annual needs assessments in preparation for procurement, as required by the Public Procurement Act 2007.
Additionally, 16.3% (59 MDAs) lacked annual procurement plans aligned with their approved annual budgets. Furthermore, 23.10% (85 MDAs) did not have guidelines for granting advances to staff members.
The report indicated that 18.21% (67 MDAs) did not settle advances upon retirement, and 23.91% (88 MDAs) failed to ensure personnel retired advances before receiving new ones. The ICPC underscored the significance of addressing these issues, describing them as significant corruption vulnerabilities, particularly in the context of fund diversion.
The Ethics and Integrity Compliance Scorecard serves as a mechanism to assess and enhance ethical and integrity standards within government agencies, promoting transparency, accountability, and adherence to established regulations.
