The Tanzania Forest Services Agency (TFS) has stepped up efforts to tackle corruption and strengthen accountability, training 148 officers on public service ethics, good governance and measures to prevent abuse of office.
The two-day training, which ended in Dodoma on November 3, 2026, brought together officers from TFS headquarters and the Central Zone, with a focus on strengthening integrity and ensuring employees adhere to professional standards.
Closing the seminar, TFS Conservation Commissioner Prof Dos Santos Silayo urged officers to translate the knowledge gained into practical action, warning against corruption, embezzlement, abuse of power and other forms of misconduct.
He challenged participants to become ambassadors of integrity within their respective workplaces and help build an institutional culture in which officers hold one another accountable.
“I believe this seminar will equip you to become ambassadors in preventing corruption. Through the topics presented, I have realised that you have gained an understanding of the effects of corruption and unethical conduct among public servants. We should therefore cooperate and support one another in carrying out our responsibilities,” he said.
Prof Silayo said maintaining ethical standards required collective responsibility, urging officers to support colleagues in fulfilling their duties rather than tolerate practices that undermine public service.
The training comes as public institutions face the challenge of ensuring that employees entrusted with public resources exercise their responsibilities transparently and in accordance with established procedures.
In the forestry sector, accountability is particularly important because officers are involved in managing and protecting natural resources, enforcing regulations and overseeing activities that affect the country's forests.
Earlier, TFS Deputy Conservation Commissioner for Support Services and Administration, Mr Emmanuel Wilfred Kiboko, said the seminar covered the agency's Anti-Corruption Strategy for 2023/24 to 2029/30, professional ethics and disciplinary procedures for employees.
He said participants were also equipped with knowledge on identifying and preventing corruption in the workplace, including understanding misconduct that public servants may engage in and the consequences of such actions.
The sessions further examined practical approaches to combating corruption in the forestry sector, drawing on institutional experiences and discussions among participants.
A facilitator from the Prevention and Combating of Corruption Bureau (PCCB), Mr Otenyo Ollech Maichael, led sessions on corruption-related matters, including its forms, implications and measures for prevention.
The seminar also provided an opportunity for officers to exchange experiences and discuss ways of strengthening internal safeguards against unethical conduct.
Participants welcomed the initiative and called for similar training to be extended to other TFS offices and operational stations to ensure that ethical standards are consistently maintained throughout the agency.
They said continuous awareness programmes would help officers understand their responsibilities and reinforce accountability at all levels.
The seminar, which began on November 2, forms part of TFS's efforts to strengthen integrity, responsible leadership and institutional mechanisms for preventing and combating corruption.