About Us
|
ACTIVITIES OF COPE-AFRICA
The activities of the Centre for Organizational and Professional Ethics are diversified. It covers the following:
Research on Ethics, Due-Process, Accountability, Code of Conducts, Integrity, Anti-Corruption and Governance.
The Centre takes it upon itself to engage in various research activities. The broad aim of COPE-AFRICA research activities is to unearth specific causes, dynamics, pattern and effects of the problems of ethics, due-diligence, transparency, integrity, corruption, accountability, codes of conduct and good governance in national development process. Along this line, we have prepared various reports on the followings:
- Ethical Sensibility of the Average Nigerian Businessman.
- Corruption in Nigerian Tax Administration System.
- Corrupt Practices in Nigeria Court Affidavit System of Age Declaration.
- Corruption flash points in the Nigeria Police Force.
- Accountability and Transparency in Public Procurement System.
- Corporate Responsibility in Medium and Large Businesses.
- Parental Roles in Examination Malpractices.
- Unethical Practices in Cooperative Management.
- Environmental Ethics: The Roles of stakeholders.
- Codes of Conducts among Nigerian Professionals.
Due-Process Observatory Responsibility (DPOR)
The Centre has been very active in due process observatory responsibility particularly in public procurements. As an accredited NGO due-process observer by the Bureau of Public Procurements (BPP), COPE-AFRICA, has participated in the observation of Bid-opening of public procurements of various institutions across Nigeria. Some institutions in which COPE-AFRICA have participated in their bid-openings as due-process observer include:-
- Ogun-Osun River Basin Development Authority.
- University of Ibadan, Nigeria.
- Federal College of Education, Osiele.
- Power Holding Company of Nigeria (PHCN).
- Adeyemi College of Education, Ondo.
- Federal University of Technology Akure.
- National Institute of Educational Planning and Administration (NIEPA).
- Federal School of Survey (FSS) Oyo.
- Federal Co-operative College, Eleiyele.
- Nigeria Institute of Social and Economic Research (NISER).
- University College Hospital (UCH) Ibadan.
In addition, COPE-AFRICA has also been involved in the building of capacity so as to enhance the skills of due-process practitioners’ for effective mechanism. Example of this are:
- Transparency and Accountability in Public Procurement for participants on the occasions of a National Seminar on Transparency and Accountability for national development organized by NIQS, Ondo state chapter.
- Due-process Mechanism and the Expectations of Public Procurement Act 2007 for all public procurement practitioners across Oyo State. This was during the occasion of Oyo State Consultative Summit on Due Process
SEE EVENTS PICTURE GALLERY
Contract Monitoring Programs (CMP)
The Centre is an advocate of pro-active involvement in the monitoring of public procurements and public works as a way of reducing corruption. It has called for issuance of Guidelines by the bureau of public procurement (BPP) to ensure full compliance with the provision of the Public Procurement Act 2007 by Ministries, Departments and Agencies. With COPE-AFRICAs’ nomination and eventual participation at the World Bank West African Contract Monitoring Action Planning program in Monrovia, Liberia 30th November to December 3rd 2010, the Centre is fully committed to other range of monitoring activities with focus on the followings:
- Monitoring of Public contracts and other categories of public works engagements across the South West and other regions of Nigeria.
- Monitoring Public contracts in Extractive Industries nationwide.
- Monitoring of Public Investments/Infrastructural Projects through Public Private Participation (PPP) and Concessions.
The aim of COPE-AFRICA contract monitoring program is to push for increased transparency, accountability, value for money and corruption mitigation in public contract implementation and managements. Along this line, the Centre has co-opted seasoned professionals in the field of infrastructural Engineering, Accounting, Quantity Surveying, Economics, etc into its associate membership categories. The professionals are trained in-house to demonstrate due-diligence in order to achieve the objective of effective contract monitoring programs.
To increase the capacity for effective activities in this regard, COPE-AFRICA maintains strong regular capacity-development with Global Infrastructural Anti-Corruption Centre (GIACC) U.K. and Ethics Centre, University of Cambridge for useful resources and other technical capacity development on the trends, dynamics and strategy for corruption mitigation. The Centre has also commenced linkage with the newly established International Anti Corruption Academy, (IACA) Vienna, Austria.
SEE EVENTS PICTURE GALLERY
Anti-Corruption Programs and Initiatives (ACPI)
The Centre for Organizational and Professional Ethics is very active in its anti-corruption programs. As a member of National Anti-Corruption Coalition (NACC) of Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission, (ICPC) COPE-AFRICA has three main approaches to its anti-corruption programs.
First, there is commitment in full participation in all programs by Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) and Initiatives by other Anti-corruption agencies across Nigeria aimed at promoting zero corruption across public and private practices as well as enhancing transparency, due-diligence, good governance, . Along this line, COPE-AFRICA has participated in the following ICPC programs:
- International Anti-corruption Day activities.
- ICPC/APBN Anti-corruption Roundtable.
- Stakeholders’ Forum on Anti-corruption particularly for Religions Leaders.
- National Anti-Corruption Coalition (NACC) activities.
- Activities of National Anti-Corruption Volunteers (NAVC).
- Anti Corruption Advocacy and Public Enlightenment TV/Radio live broadcast programs for Nigeria at home and in Diaspora organized by OODUA TV London U.K.
- Anti-corruption advocacy program anchored by Radio Oyo/Broadcasting corporation of Oyo state (BCOS) PROGRAMME “EYI-ARA”
- Regular Features/Interviews and advocacy on ethics for sustainable organizational, institutional and professional practices.
The COPE-AFRICA second approach to Anti-Corruption programs and Initiatives has to do with tailor-made research into key corruption grey areas across Nigeria public and private practices. The intention of COPE-AFRICA Anti-corruption research endeavor is to assist with factual and audited reports of corruption practices across public and private practices towards pro-active measures that will help in the designs of various corruption mitigation programs. Example of this includes COPE-AFRICA system and organizational study that cut across corruption in Tax Administration, Police, Public Service, Procurements, High Education Admission system, Electoral system etc.
The third approach deals with COPE-AFRICA’s self-propelled anti-corruption initiatives. The COPE-AFRICA’s self-propelled anti-corruption initiatives are specific programs of action, which may include anti-corruption education, capacity-building exercises, system-change advocacy, due-process observations, accountability and anti-corruption compliance monitoring activities etc. The COPE-AFRICA anti-corruption initiatives provides required avenue for pro-active participation in practical change programs towards zero -corruption, accountability and integrity-laden society for sustainable development. A major example of this initiative is the COPE-AFRICA Mandatory Corruption Mitigation Program (MCMP) for cooperative societies and managers across Lagos, Ogun, Oyo, Ondo; Consultative Summit on Due Process; Exam Ethics and Zero-Corruption Advocacy Programs; Anti-Corruption Public Enlightenment Programs etc.
SEE EVENTS PICTURE GALLERY
Governance Improvement Program (GIP)
COPE-AFRICA is very pro-active in the facilitation of due-process and accountability through advocacy for governance reform with focus on transparency, probity specifically in public procurements and fiscal responsibility across state management institutions.
On this, we have continue to work in the direction of ensuring that state across Nigeria adopt public procurement law and fiscal responsibility Act as veritable means of enhancing governance, anti-corruption, accountability, probity and transparency in line with international best practices as well as fast tracking desired developments.
COPE-AFRICA achievements in this area include:
- COPE-AFRICA Improved Public Procurement System. (IPPS)
- Advocacy for public procurements reform across Ogun, Osun, Ekiti, Ondo and other States.
- Legislative Advocacy and Stakeholders’ Consultative Summit on Due Process and the eventual signing of Public Procurement law in Oyo State.
- Increased activities for adoption of public procurement and fiscal responsibility law in states across Nigeria with the support of relevant agencies.
- Setting up and the training CSO’s Due-process monitors across South Western Nigeria particular in Oyo, Ogun and Osun states.
- Initiatives and programs to scale up due-process, transparency and accountability practices in select states of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
Integrated Exam Ethics Initiative (IEEI).
The entire Nigerian Society is fast losing faith in examination systems. Examination and result systems have almost completely lost the integrity that was traditionally associated with it. The spate of irregularity that has taken over the conduct of examination system has made it suffer from disrespect and utter contempt.
This is a big challenge to COPE-AFRICA. As a Federal Ministry of Education (FME) accredited intervention agency on ethics and quality assurance, there is the need to rise up to the challenge. COPE-AFRICA Integrated Examination Ethics Initiative (IEEI) was launched to unleash renewed commitment to decent, fraud-free respectable examination system. Some of the key features of IEEI include massive All year Round Radio/TV jingles against examination malpractices, exam ethics advocacy programs for stakeholders such as principals, invigilators, supervisors, students, official of examination bodies such as NECO/WAEC and officials of ministry of education etc.
The COPE-AFRICA (IEEI) program has been launched in states across Nigeria such as Oyo, Ondo, Ogun, Osun etc so as to mitigate the damaging effects of examination malpractices in the school system.
Professional Ethics Program (PEP).
The Centre for Organisational and Professional Ethics (COPE-AFRICA) has contributed significantly to the promotion of professional ethics. This is been done through involvements in various programs. Some of the program in which COPE-AFRICA has featured prominently in this direction includes:
- Nigeria Army Training Week on Military Professionalism.
- Association of Professional Bodies of Nigeria (APBN)/Independent Corrupt Practices and other Related Offences Commission ICPC/Centre for Organizational and Professional Ethics (COPE-AFRICA) professional Round table against corruption.
- COPE-AFRICA Colloquium on Ethics of Professions
- Ethics for cooperative practitioners.
- Ethical practices programs for different categories of professionals such as Bankers, Medical Personnel (Nurses, Doctors, Pharmacists, Medical Laboratory Technologists, Dentists etc.) Other professionals covered by this program include: Engineers, Builders, Accountants, Journalists.
Efforts are already on by the Centre for Organizational and Professional Ethics (COPE-AFRICA) to put up a national summit on Professional Ethics. The aim of the Summit is to galvanize stakeholder’s ideas towards sustainable policy development and program implementation on professional ethics.
Codes of Conduct Initiatives (CCI)
Promoting codes of conduct among organizations, institutions, and professional practices is at the core of COPE-AFRICA activities. The Codes of Conduct Initiatives of COPE-AFRICA comprises of advance research into status of code of conducts across institutional, professional and organizational practices. It includes the development of initiatives and programs that are tailored towards improving codes of conduct practices. Part of this also includes the development of database on codes of practices across organizations, professions and institutions. The Centre is also very pro-active in promoting the sanctity of personal discipline, individual accountability, through asset declaration particularly given the anticipated collaborative relationship with Code of Conduct Bureau (CCB).
SEE EVENTS PICTURE GALLERY
COPE-AFRICA’s Integrity Training Program
The Centre for Organisational and Professional Ethics (COPE-AFRICA) has developed tailor-made capacity-building programs on integrity for all categories of professionals, institutions and organizations. Apart from the fact that the tailor-made integrity programs are designed to address specific integrity challenge, the program itself is always arranged in way that it is laced with integrity coping skills for effective operations in a corruption infested environment like Nigeria. Along this line, various integrity training programs have been organized by COPE-AFRICA for education sector, governance institutions, military, banking, accounting, public procurement officials etc so as to promote global best practices. There are also programs on character and leadership, youth moral advocacy and developments.
Local & International Anti-Corruption Network Program
In other to enhance the capacity of COPE-AFRICA Team (members, staff and associates) for effective activities the, CENTRE has continued to avail itself of various local and international trainings, networking and resource exchange opportunities. Some key opportunities in this regard that have assisted our performances include:
- Training offered by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) to COPE-AFRICA officials in its capacity as a member of National Anti-Corruption Coalition (NACC).
- Stakeholders’ fora / meetings organized by the Bureau of Public Procurement (BPP) in which COPE-AFRICA has continued to participate as an accredited Due-Process Observer/ Contract Monitor.
- Capacity-enhancement through participation in Training of Trainers (TOT) program in Public Procurements due-process observation organized by the Public and Private Development Centre (PPDC) with the support of Pact Nigeria and USAID.
- Various International Trainings and resource offer by the Global Infrastructure Anti-Corruption Centre (GIACC), Amersham, United Kingdom on the trends, dynamics and strategies for combating corruption particularly in infrastructure sector.
- U.K. Anti-Corruption forum inter agency resource exchange program.
- Resource sharing and collaborative relationship with Ethics Centre, Cambridge, U.K.
- Linkage program with the newly established International Anti Corruption Academy, (IACA) Vienna, Austria.
- COPE-AFRICA’s participation in Sub-Regional Action Planning Meeting for contract monitors in Monrovia, Liberia Organized by the World Bank Institute and African Regional Department of the World Bank U.S.A.
BACK TO TOP |
