Mwinyi cherishes increased accountability

Masato Masato in Zanzibar

ZANZIBAR: SWEEPING policy and legal reforms, including the enactment of the Public Audit Act, Number 7 of 2023, have boosted accountability in Zanzibar’s government operations, President Hussein Mwinyi has declared.

“We have empowered our oversight institutions through training, provision of working tools, and construction of supportive operational infrastructure for increased efficiency,” Dr Mwinyi told the Southern Africa Development Community Organisation of Public Accounts Committees (SADCOPAC) during a two-day workshop here on Wednesday.

He cited the rescue of 86.3% of the government funds that could have otherwise been swindled, a 96% transparency increase in the execution of development projects, and a 96% rise in public awareness of public revenues and expenditures as some of the registered achievements under the reforms.

President Mwinyi further said the reforms have accelerated the use of digital systems in government operations from 48 to 92.4% in the past three years. Dr Mwinyi implored all SADC member states to invest heavily in strengthening their respective oversight institutions to facilitate intensive investigations as per their statutory obligations.

“It’s obvious that our countries will develop fast if they wisely use the abundant resources legally, transparently, and accountably,” President Mwinyi told the workshop delegates, comprising PAC members, controller and auditors general, and other stakeholders from the SADC region.

He said the national audit offices, anti-corruption bureaus, and legislative houses, which play an oversight role in public expenditures, have a central role to play in ensuring that national resources are used for the benefits of all wananchi.

But, Dr Mwinyi said, “If these oversight institutions are to effectively perform their duties, they need highly skilled and competent professionals in various fields to widen their scope of investigations.” The president reaffirmed the commitment of both the union and Zanzibar governments in the fight against corruption, saying the major focus is on transparency and accountability in government operations.

Speaking at the workshop opening session, Zanzibar Minister of Tourism and Heritage Mudrik Ramadhan Soraga welcomed all delegates to sample the country’s investment opportunities, saying the island’s tourism sector remains virgin, yearning for investors.

He said Zanzibar has for the past three years registered remarkable changes in social, political, and economic development, thanks to Dr Mwinyi’s strong and visionary leadership.

Zanzibar’s Controller and Auditor General Dr. Othman Abbas Ally boasted of the good and flourishing professional and working relationship between his office, the National Audit Office of Tanzania, and all national audit offices in the SADC region.