Lilongwe – SADC heads of anti-corruption agencies have called for the enactment and strengthening of comprehensive whistleblower protection legislation in the region.
This came up during a conference held this week in Malawi’s capital, Lilongwe, when participants discussed fighting corruption with a focus on boosting financial investigations, improving inter-agency cooperation, and expanding the use of technology in corruption prevention and detection.
The SADC Strategic Anti-Corruption Action Plan (2023-2027) is one example of cooperative efforts to tackle corruption. It takes a coordinated approach to tackling corruption and illegal financial flows in the region, emphasising public procurement integrity, asset recovery, whistleblower protection, beneficial ownership declaration, digital technology, and cross-border collaboration. 
The meeting also discussed establishing secure reporting channels and raising public awareness to increase media coverage of corruption.
There were recommendations made in the meeting to have investment in digital governance infrastructure increased, enhancing cyber-investigation capabilities as well as digital forensic tools to address emerging forms of corruption, including those involving virtual assets and cryptocurrencies.
The strengthening of anti-money laundering and counter-financing of terrorism frameworks also formed part of the talks, while improving mutual legal assistance and extradition mechanisms and deepening collaboration through regional platforms such as the Asset Recovery Inter-Agency Network of Southern Africa (ARINSA) were not overlooked.
The conference concluded with a shared commitment to advancing practical reforms and coordinated regional actions aimed at preventing corruption, strengthening accountability, promoting transparency and good governance, and supporting sustainable development across the SADC region.
