The Minister of Finance and Economic Development, Mr Kenneth Matambo says fighting corruption is a management responsibility and cannot be done single handedly by the Directorate on Corruption and Economic Crime (DCEC) or any anti-corruption agency. Speaking at the ministry’s anti- corruption commemoration day and the revised anti-corruption policy launch on October 14, Mr Matambo said fighting corruption required concerted efforts by government institutions and the private sector. The day was commemorated under the theme: “Towards a corruption free public service,” and marked a time for the ministry to reflect on progress made as well as areas where there was need in preventing corruption occurrences at the workplace. “It is only through collaborative efforts that we can achieve a corruption free public service. If left to thrive, corruption can become a crime against economic development,” he said. He said although Botswana was ranked a high performer in Sub- Saharan Africa as indicated by the 2015 Corruption Perception Index, it did not in any way suggest that the nation had done enough. “The zero tolerance for corruption motto is our national goal, and to achieve it, it is imperative that each one of us contribute and fulfil their responsibility as citizens,” he said. He noted that the most basic and simplest of all was to say no to corruption because it was everyone’s responsibility and fundamental obligation to improve the quality of the nation. Mr Matambo further explained that the five-year policy reaffirmed the ministry’s commitment towards elimination of corruption, economic crime, theft, maladministration, fraud and any other waste. He added that it articulated a range of measures geared towards prevention of the likelihood of any such irregularities occurring. Nonetheless, the minister congratulated the ministry for having worked tirelessly in ensuring that aspirations to implement the first ministry anti- corruption policy were realised. Meanwhile, the DCEC director general, Ms Rose Seretse encouraged the ministry to set an anti-corruption unit. She said 12 ministries have the unit and that the concept was hailed by many countries and that Botswana had become a benchmark for other anti-corruptionunits. Ms Seretse said the ministry had embraced strategies such as conducting risk assessments, audits, developing corruption prevention plans and customising anti-corruption messages. She said despite the gains that Botswana has made in the fight against corruption, there were still challenges of financial crimes, money laundering, suspicious transactions as well as corruption in procurement. ENDS