The Minister of Finance Ngozi Okonjo Iweal published an Op-ed piece on Financial Times yesterday where she suggested how Technology can help the cycle of corruption in Nigeria. She wrote this ahead of the G8 Submit taking place in Ireland. Here are some of the excerpts of the op-ed.
For example, a common approach to tackling corruption in developing countries has been for officials to target high-profile cases, publicising the arrest of offenders often as a deterrent to others. Such stories tend to generate big headlines. Yet, after a few weeks, interest fades and corruption may still continue unabated. To change this cycle, in my view, requires that such high-profile approaches be firmly coupled with relentless action to put in place the rules and processes that enshrine transparency, and limit discretion and subjectivity.
In Nigeria, we are working hard to put in place such plans – and it is a laborious exercise that we need to sustain over time. For example, leakages occur in our budget implementation because of a reliance on old-fashioned procedures. To prevent them, we are implementing three electronic payment and oversight platforms. A new payroll information system allows direct payment of government workers based on biometric data. This has thus far saved the government more than $600m through the elimination of “ghost workers”.
FT Subscribers can read the full op-ed on FT by following the link below
Technology can help kill corruption in developing countries
