Prime Minister Kassim Majaliwa has urged anti-corruption leaders from Southern African Development Community (SADC) member states to strengthen implementation of the SADC Protocol Against Corruption, describing it as a critical tool for achieving good governance, peace, and regional unity.
Speaking in Arusha on Sunday, August 4, 2025, during the opening of the 20th anniversary of the protocol, Majaliwa who represented President Samia Suluhu Hassan said the region must remain firm and united in its anti-corruption agenda.
“The SADC Protocol Against Corruption remains a powerful instrument in promoting sustainable development. We must continue to enforce it with full commitment and efficiency to build a corruption-free SADC,” he said during the event held at Gran Meliá Hotel.
He emphasized that corruption threatens not only development but also regional security.
“We must admit that corruption is a serious threat. It fuels organised crime, human trafficking, terrorism, and undermines the rule of law,” Majaliwa warned.
He commended member countries, including Tanzania, for intensifying anti-corruption laws, strengthening oversight institutions, and investing in public education.
“In recent years, SADC countries have taken important steps to empower their anti-corruption bodies and raise awareness among citizens about the dangers of corruption to national welfare,” he noted.
Majaliwa highlighted improved regional collaboration through information-sharing, legal cooperation, and joint investigations.
“Cooperation among our countries has grown. We now have systems in place for exchanging intelligence and conducting joint operations to tackle cross-border corruption,” he added.
According to the Prime Minister, Tanzania treats the fight against corruption as a national priority that supports both development and national security.
“The journey ahead may be long, but we should not fear failure. With continued collaboration, strategic vision, and political will, we can and must build a corruption-free SADC region,” he affirmed.
Minister for Defence and National Service, Dr Stergomena Tax, said the Sixth Phase Government under President Samia remains firm in promoting good governance and the rule of law.
“This workshop has come at the right time. It provides a platform for sharing experiences, strengthening cooperation, and aligning our anti-corruption efforts across the region,” she said.
For his part, the Director General of Tanzania’s anti-corruption body (PCCB) and Chairperson of the SADC Anti-Corruption Committee, Mr Crispin Francis Chalamila, outlined progress under two strategic plans (2018–2022 and 2023–2027).
“We have developed a regional anti-corruption curriculum, established minimum standards for investigations and prevention, introduced a monitoring and evaluation system, and conducted a regional corruption assessment,” Chalamila explained.
The 20th anniversary event brought together policymakers, law enforcement officials, and development partners to reflect on achievements, identify gaps, and reaffirm regional commitments in fighting corruption through collective frameworks such as the SADC Protocol Against Corruption, which was signed in 2001 and ratified by member states in subsequent years.