BRISBANE, Australia - AussieJournal -- Public service transparency is about public service decision-takers being accountable by making known to the public at large their actions, the rules governing those actions and the identities of those responsible. This information should be kept up to date, accessible to inspection at a detailed level and subject to public review by the media and official processes.  Transparency is an important means of deterring and detecting corruption. The internet provides a valuable mechanism for public sector organisations to achieve transparency, gain public support for the system of democratic government and combat corruption.

In this article David Fellows and John Leonardo review African anti-corruption agencies' (ACAs) recent use of three digital platforms (websites, Facebook and Twitter) to the promote transparency of their activities and assess the progress made. The authors also discuss the application of the financial management and public reporting provisions of the United Nations Convention Against Corruption (UNCAC) by African ACAs.

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The review concludes that social media use in Africa is growing strongly. Slightly more than half of African ACAs have stand-alone websites and these are more prevalent in countries with higher Corruption Perceptions Index scores. Less than half of African ACAs are using social media. Facebook is used more frequently than Twitter although some African ACAs have made considerable progress with their use of Twitter.

Examination of online publication trends by ACAs of their annual reports, strategic plans and national anti-corruption strategies found these generally fall short of UNCAC standards. It is suggested that African ACA professionalism and integrity could be enhanced by ACAs publishing more information on their websites relating to these documents.

The authors also suggest that African ACAs that operate websites but do not provide a Facebook or Twitter presence should consider using these platforms as a means of gaining public confidence in anti-corruption activities and public cooperation in combatting corruption investigations

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The full article can be found on the PFMConnect blog website at: http://blog-pfmconnect.com/african-anti-corruption-agencies-digital-platform-usage/.

About the Authors:

David Fellows is an international development PFM advisor who previously worked extensively in UK local government finance and in the Cabinet Office as advisor on public service reform. He was a leader for the introduction of digital communication in UK public service delivery. He is a director of PFMConnect, a public financial management consultancy: david.fellows@pfmconnect.com .

John Leonardo John Leonardo is a PFM expert with extensive worldwide experience including institutional strengthening and public engagement pertaining to PFM activities. He is a director of PFMConnect: john.leonardo@pfmconnect .com