Unlocking Public Procurement from Corruption: Examining the Role of Ethical Training and Education In Selected Lgas, Tanzania

Abstract

The efforts towards anti-corruption in public funded projects have been more emphasized, however; the challenge still persists. About 20%-30% of procurement project value lost through corruption. Scholars and policy makers regard ethical training and education as one of the solid steps towards anti-corruption in public funded projects. This study examined and validated the role of ethical training and education [contents, sources, nature, and scope] towards anti-corruption in public procurement, with focus in selected Local Government Authorities (LGAs) in Tanzania. The study adopted descriptive research design and purposive sampling to collect data from 114 respondents. Data were collected using survey and interview methods, and analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics. The study found that, once effectively streamlined, ethical training and education play a significant role in upholding a sense of anti-corruption in public procurement (p < α). However, the contents, nature and scope of ethical training and education were found less effective in curbing corrupt practices in public funded projects. The study recommends to the training bodies and procuring entities to review and restructure the contents, scope and nature of ethical training and education, make it mandatory to all procurement practitioners, designed with focus to impart knowledge on the consequences of corruption to the public and to the government at large.