CAPE TOWN, 4 September – Accountability Lab Director Blair Glencorse will participate in two panels at the World Economic Forum on Africa in Cape Town on Thursday, September 5. Both themes are resonant to South Africa today – ‘New Solutions to Tackle Corruption’ and ‘Justice by Design’.

Technology is understandably a significant theme again at WEF and its role in addressing corruption is under the spotlight. The first panel (1.30pm SAST, CTICC2, xChange) looks at innovative tech solutions to prevent, detect and prosecute corruption, and increase transparency. “Technology too often becomes the goal – we need to step back, understand that fighting corruption is the goal, and then think about how technology might be one part of the answer. Governments are still using paper-based administrative systems in some cases – we need to get them simple IT systems that can improve coordination and management as a starting point,” Blair says.

The Justice by Design panel (CTICC Hub A) will interrogate how justice systems can be redesigned for the region in sustainable ways. The Lab’s work in alternative dispute resolution mechanisms with its Community Justice Teams in Liberia provide some interesting examples of a community-based approach. “We need to find ways to understand how to connect formal and informal justice systems. If we don’t, we are never going to be able to bridge the justice gap,” Blair adds.

Accountability Lab South Africa has also recently unveiled its top five winners for the Lab’s annual Integrity Icon campaign. Integrity Icon is a global campaign to find, celebrate and connect honest government officials. The campaign aims to celebrate individuals who go beyond the call of duty, build support for their efforts to realise a collective societal shift towards greater accountability. Meet the SA winners on our YouTube playlist and contact us to find out more about the campaign.

*Livestream the WEF panels at https://www.weforum.org/events/world-economic-forum-on-africa-2019

Sheena Adams