The Celebration of the International Day against Corruption in Togo by the Togo Public Procurement Regulatory Authority

Tlhough it wasn’t on December 9 as it is every year, Togo celebrated the International Day against corruption on December 13, 2022 thanks to its Public Procurement Regulatory Authority in the Conference hall of the Presidency of Université de Lomé with the participation of many a person.

Yes, Togo celebrated the International Day against corruption through a public conference debate held by ARCOP-Togo for the public on the theme as follows ‘The role of whistleblowers”. Participants were from various horizons as such procurement entities’ agents from Grand Lomé Town halls, academics, judges, civil society actors and the Director General of ARCOP-Togo, M. Aftar Touré MOROU before Medias.

There were two main interventions, especially the keynote speech from the Magistrate Yaovi Fiawonou, the first Attorney General at the Supreme Court of Togo and the one of the Director General of the Togo Public Procurement Regulatory Authority (ARCOP).

The Keynote Speaker, Magistrate Yaovi Fiawonou exchanged with the participants for about one hour on serious points such as legal and institutional tools that Togo has to fight corruption, which is increasing drastically within. He also talked about tools to identify whistleblowers, the good conditions to be in for operation and the types of protection to offer them and ended finally by focusing on the reasons which should urge whistleblowers to do so.

Taking the floor, the Director General of ARCOP-Togo insisted on the importance of stakeholders to get involved in the fight against corruption, which is ruining the development of States. He said “The financial stakes are important. We realized that corruption in public procurement could have negative impact on the economy of our country. At our level in ARCOP, we have an investigation cell receiving regularly denunciations which have increased from 17 in 2020 to 29 this year 2022. The law provides for sanctions. Whistleblowers have a key role to play against corruption inasmuch as they have information on actions that could ruin the general interest. We must listen to them, conduct investigations and protect them”.