Through the Public Service Ethics in Africa project, UN DESA DPEPA compiled comparative information on current legislation, policies, programmes, and practices. Such a regional comparison is intended to highlight gaps and best practices, which can serve as a basis to introduce new or improve existing ethics policies and programmes at the national level. The information collected by this study is intended to:

1. assist African government and non-government actors to introduce or improve public sector ethics policies and programmes;

2. support international organisations, such as the United Nations and UNDP, and other development partners in determining priorities, drafting recommendations and making funding decisions;

3. be produced in a set of reports and set up in an electronic data base which could be updated and available to public administration scholars and practitioners through designated web-sites;

4 serve as a pilot study to be enlarged by the inclusion of other countries in the region, and;

5 provide a basis for benchmarks of best practices against which individual countries can make improvements.

This final report, which serves as a policy-making and programming tool, presents the comparative analysis and key findings of the information gathered from the ten participating countries. It is complemented by ten country reports which focus on the national consultants' views of the individual country situations, a comprehensive MS-ACCESS database which contains "raw" and supporting data, and an ethics web-site featuring the key findings of the study.

It is hoped that the dissemination within the participating countries themselves will lead to concrete policy changes, institutional improvements, and managerial developments. Some examples of such practical changes would be the capacity improvement of the investigating agencies such as the Ombudsman's offices, independent anti-corruption agencies, etc. A show of commitment to higher standards of conduct through promulgating codes of conduct and tightening up financial disclosure and disciplinary procedures are other examples. The introduction of specific public service ethics training or national anti-corruption or wider public sector ethics programmes would also be examples of desirable outcomes.

The items listed under "survey issues" in the table below were researched by national consultants, with pertinent expertise, who were recruited by the UN in close cooperation with UNDP country offices involved. These consultants were guided and monitored by a project team at UN Headquarters. The national consultants received a detailed questionnaire and research guideline for their work. The questionnaire focused on systematically collecting mostly publicly available statistics, administrative data, and legal documents. The research design for this study can be best described as a combination of expert interviews and document analysis.

A Project Steering Group was set up to guide the research process through ensuring the validity and reliability of the data gathered and to increase the participation of regional and national stakeholders. (Project Steering Group for the list of members.) The composition of the Group strove not to be too donor focused but to include those members who are the most familiar with the complexities and challenges of the African context. The Project Steering Group met twice in the region: (1) to approve the survey instrument and plan of action, and (2) to approve the report and the data base.

Guidance

(prevention)

• commitment from political leadership
• statements of values and legal standards
• training

• communication campaigns
• code of conduct exercises
• conflict-of-interest disclosures
• post-employment restrictions
• induction/ongoing training

Management

(oversight)

• coordination by special body or central management agency
• public sector work conditions
• administrative policies and practices

• independent ethics or anti-corruption agencies or administrative units
• pay levels, career structures, and other incentives
• safeguards in contracting and procurement, etc.

Control

(enforcement)

• legal enforcement framework
• effective accountability mechanisms
• public involvement

• laws enabling independent investigations and prosecutions (criminal codes, anti-corruption, civil service, and ethics)
• reporting requirements and performance contracts and evaluations
• private sector codes of conduct, civil society watchdogs, professional associations and trade unions