Corruption is something that no country developed or developing can ignore. Certainly government agencies cannot ignore it.

t. A transparent and accountable governmental system is critical to powering the economy.

Accountability of government officials relies on availability of information about their misconduct. There can be little accountability without transparency.
Strengthening public-sector capability. Here, a principal focus has been and will continue to be the strengthening of public financial management and procurement systems, as a crucial underpinning for better use of public resources and for scaling-up budget support. Reforms in public financial management can be monitored through actionable indicators, such as the Public Expenditure and Financial Accountability (PEFA) performance measurement framework. Benchmarking public procurement systems against agreed international standards is also being taken forward, with support from the DACs Joint Venture on Procurement. On the other hand, reforms of public administration and the civil service to improve meritocracy, pay and effectiveness need to reflect lessons of experience that suggest limited returns from across-the-board reforms unless there is strong political will and policy coherence. In most settings, only modest reforms agendas are likely to yield results. These efforts have to be complemented by some degree of oversight from civil society. Transparency International defines corruption as the misuse of entrusted power for private gain (Transparency International, 2008). Corruption is draining the nations resources. It reduces economic growth, discourages investments, and violates human dignity. It increases health risks and robs poor people of their livelihoods and their access to better living standards. Participants observed that resources could be saved if transparency were optimised and corruption eliminated (Shordt et al, 2006). This would free up most of the resources needed to achieve Millennium Development Goals and vision 202020 According to the World Bank, an effective anticorruption strategy needs to address five key elements: 1. Increasing political accountability 2. Strengthening civil society participation 3. Creating a competitive private sector 4. Institutional restrains on power 5. Improving public sector management.

Transparency in Public Financial Management

The structure of the Nigerian public service/ MDAs bequeathed to its various agencies a tradition of secret government. The ubiquitous Official Secrets Act enabled governments to classify all its documents as top secretsecret, confidential, or restricted. The trend toward open government has just begun with the signing into law(enactment of), the FOIA ( bill). In the field of public financial management, transparency implies that the procedures and methods of decision making and the disbursement of public funds are open and visible to all. There are at least three methods by which such transparency can be achieved: First, every government agency should be mandated to publish annually or bi-annually as the case may be a statement of its operations. These statements include a description of its structure and functions, budgetary allocations/expenditure as well as a register of all categories of documents in its possession, in sufficient detail to facilitate access. Access to be provided by giving the applicant a

reasonable opportunity to inspect the document or by supplying him with a copy. Access to information is a powerful mechanism of accountability. To the extent that shrouds are lifted off government, and the decision-making process made visible, to that extent are opportunities for corruption will be minimized and the abuse of power lessened.

Demystification of the budget

The annual budget is invariably couched in language and presented in a format that is unintelligible to all but the initiated. Comments on it are invited and obtained only from those at the commanding heights of the economy. No single act in the legislature has such a profound impact on the lives of people throughout the country as the annual budget and its related legislation. If it is presented in a form that is easily accessible to, and understood by, ordinary people, and then disseminated in cooperation with the free media, not only will the budget be subjected to greater scrutiny and more widespread comment, but a process would begin which would involve the public in open consultation on choices and preferences in the utilization of national resources. Institutional Capacity: There may be motivation but little capacity and experience to fight corruption effectively. Training, technical assistance and financial support can be used to strengthen the capacity of governmental and nongovernmental groups in the areas of advocacy, oversight, ethics, investigation, prosecution, awareness building, prevention, transparency, and accountability. => Major remedies need to be promoted to make the procurement of pharmaceuticals more transparent and accountable. In addition, it is critical to develop tracking systems to monitor and oversee budgetary expenditures to stem leakages. Overall, organizational, management and institutional reforms are needed to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of healthcare delivery and reduce mismanagement which can encourage corrupt

Improved information about local needs and preferences is Accountability can be seen as the validation of participation, in that the test of whether attempts to increase participation prove successful is the extent to which people can use participation to hold a government responsible for its actions.
Transparency and Accountability are two of the central pillars of good governance. Transparency is also a necessary precondition for the exercise of accountability since without access to clear, accurate and up-to-date information, it is impossible to judge whether the standard promised has been met. Accountability constitutes a central pillar of any public procurement system. Without transparent and accountable systems enabling governments and citizens to engage in a mutually responsive way, the vast resources channelled through public procurement systems run the danger of increased corruption and misuse of funds. Even in a system with low levels of corruption, public and civic oversight can help identify inefficiencies, thereby increasing procurement efficiency and effectiveness for the benefit of improved service delivery and ultimately citizens.
Civil society can play an important role in raising awareness around public procurement and other areas of public financial management (PFM).

It is clear that introducing civil society or other independent observers has the potential to strengthen transparency and accountability in public procurement. However, this is not without challenges. One pitfall is the possibility for misunderstandings on the part of the observers as public procurement processes can be complex. The role of the media in public procurement In public procurement oversight the role of watchdog is often associated with the me dia. Many procurement scandals have been uncovered by the media and a free and independent press is a powerful tool to promote transparency and accountability in public procurement.

Transparency in public procurement is about information. The access to key procurement information by civil society, the media and other stakeholders, and the ways in which these actors can use the information, directly affects accountability. Furthermore, transparency is considered a highly costeffective way of achieving greater accountability. There is little doubt that under the right circumstances
increased transparency and accountability in public procurement can lead to greater better service delivery and ultimately, less waste of public resources.

a key concern must be to maintain the integrity and independence of these observers. This could be carried out through training activities, rotation schemes or other measures to be considered. Media
representatives must undergo training in public procurement in order for them to accurately cover a subject matter that can appear complex and difficult to fully understand. This could be carried out through training activities, rotation schemes or other measures to be considered.

Transparency in public procurement constitutes an arena for governments and citizens to engage and for rights holders and duty bearers to both deliver on their obligations. Accountability in public procurement is strengthened, when this positive relationship exists between a government and its citizens.
Every country faces the challenges and risks associated with the phenomenon of corruption. However, the ways in which corruption creeps into and reproduces itself in a given society and political system vary widely, as do the ways in which governments choose to deal with corruption.

The correlation between the objectives of the Government Transformation Programme and the Economic Transformation Programme are becoming more and more evident. This voluntary initiative represents yet another opportunity to leverage on the synergies between the two, which are inherently interlinked because a modern, transparent and accountable governmental system is critical to powering the economy," said Senator Dato Sri Idris Jala, in his address at the launch. If the operating structure of the government is both transparent, accountable and operates against a backdrop of strong governance, this will help facilitate economic ventures and investments that take place in the country. At the same time, economic growth and activity needs to be based on the highest standards of integrity," he continued.