Conference Overview & Background

As a responsible Namibian educational institution, the Marvelous University of Technology and Applied Sciences
(MUTAS) has organized a Conference on Good Corporate Governance, Transparency and Anti-Corruption to support the Harambee Prosperity Plan.

As stated in the Foreword message of the Harambee Prosperity Plan by His Excellency, Dr. Hage G. Geingob, President of the Republic of Namibia, attainment of prosperity for every citizen and resident requires an understanding that it is no longer “business as usual and that we are not only required to act with more urgency to reform processes, we are also required to reform our minds and attitudes and pull in the same direction. A new culture of efficiency and accountability is critical to foster the change we envisage.

The Harambee Prosperity Plan is built on four Pillars that are made up of sub pillars, to form the frame/structure of a House of which the first is Effective Governance. To this effect, the first and foremost critical Goal of the Harambee Prosperity Plan is concerned with the improvement of accountability and transparency in order to: (a) increase our ranking on the Mo-Ibrahim sub index of Accountability from 65 points in 2015 to at least 90 points by the end of the Harambee period; and (b) improve our ranking from position 4, to become most transparent country in Africa as measured by Transparency International and (c) retain our position as the country with the freest press in Africa as measured by Reporters Without Borders.

You, like many other leaders, will agree that the attachment of the HPP goal number one which is a cornerstone of all the other HHP goals is more challenging since it involves the changing the attitudes, believes, cultures and perceptions of employees in the public service and private sectors.

Being organized by an independent educational institution, this conference will seek to inculcate a culture of appreciation of the huge long term benefits of Good Governance, Transparency and Anti-Corruption and to inspire and educate participants to make use of the best modern governance and ethics practices used elsewhere to keep good standards. The outcome of the conference will obviously enable your organization to gain the best corporation and support of your employees to work with Harambee minds to achieve your desired organizational goals.

The purpose of corporate governance is to facilitate effective, entrepreneurial and prudent management that can deliver the long-term success of the company. Corporate Governance is the system of rules, practices and processes by which a company is directed and controlled. Corporate governance essentially involves balancing the interests of a company’s many stakeholders, such as shareholders, management, customers, suppliers, financiers, government and the community. ‘There is always a link between good governance and compliance with law. According to Kings Report III, Good Governance can’t exist separately from the law and it is entirely inappropriate to unhinge governance from law. In a World Bank Report for 2000, Sir Adrian Cadbury described corporate governance as “concerned with holding the balance between economic and social goals and between individual and communal goals”. The corporate governance framework is there to encourage the efficient use of resources and equally to require accountability for the stewardship of those resources. In the context of public service or private sector organization, Good Corporate Governance is therefore about ensuring all stakeholders’ adherence to organizational policies, procedures and systems.

In recent years, Corporate Governance has received increased attention because of high-profile scandals involving abuse of corporate power and, in some cases, alleged criminal activity by corporate officers. An integral part of an effective corporate governance regime includes provisions for civil or criminal prosecution of individuals who conduct unethical or illegal acts including corruption in the name of the organization or their own job positions.

This type of conduct leads to Poor Corporate Governance which undermines rules and regulations, transparency and human rights and creates bleeding zones for corruption practices. Corruption represents a major threat to rule of law and sustainable development the entire country. It has a disproportionate, destructive impact on the poor and most vulnerable, but it is also quite simply bad for business. Corruption stifles economic growth, distorts competition and presents serious legal and reputational risks.

It drives away investors by acting as a hidden “tax” or illegal overhead charge, thereby increasing costs for companies, and further down the chain, their customers. Corrupt practices are detrimental to all businesses; large and small, multinational and local. Corporate scandals have rocked financial markets and undermined investor confidence. Such incidents also receive enormous attention from the public and the media, and hit the reputations of more than just the particular entity or persons involved.

The impact of corrupt practices on development is also very significant, it impedes economic growth, distorts competition and represents serious legal and image risks. Corporate governance and transparency is the set of arrangements through which organizations account to their stakeholders. Sound corporate governance supports economic development by promoting the efficient use of resources and by creating conditions that attract both domestic and foreign investment.

Conference Aims and Objectives

In recognition of the above, the National Institute of Technology (NIT) is pleased to invite you to “the GCGTACC 2016: Good Corporate Governance, Transparency and Anti-Corruption Conference”. The conference will also showcase current Corporate governance models and practices, as well as the next generation of issues that business leaders and society will face. It will gather high-level government officials and representatives, business leaders, experts from the business community, civil society, non-profit and community based organizations, academic institutions, and other stakeholders. It provides a platform for the sharing of expectations, aspirations and responsibilities. We want to bring together representatives from various parts of the country and other Southern African countries to share their experiences, challenges and opportunities.

Presentations, workshops and dialogue sessions will highlight state of the art topics and how corporate governance, transparency and corruption issues are being addressed around the country and in other parts of world. In addition, the conference aims to develop new frameworks, tools and techniques essential for the integration of socially responsible management in business operations, in an effort to achieve sustainability at all levels of business management. Specifically, the conference will seek to attain the following outcomes:

• Recognise and comprehend the Good Governance and ethical frameworks applicable to the functions of your establishment in your country towards which your organization must align its own policies and procedures
• Understand how Poor Corporate Governance of your organization whether; Ministry, Regional, Town and Village Council, Hospital, Learning Institution, etc. can bleed into poor organizational performance, disorganisation and worse still corrupt practices that are costly to eliminate
• Analyse the impact of corruption on public value and benefit, whilst identifying the key challenges in promoting and administering good corporate governance, ethics and integrity within the public sector
• Demonstrate an understanding of corruption and misconduct from both a comparative / historical and domestic / international context
• Apply theoretical perspectives to the understanding of why corruption and misconduct can arise apply and evaluate different approaches for addressing integrity assurance and corruption prevention
• Strategize on how to build resilience within an anti-corruption or integrity assurance work environment
• Understand and apply management strategies to corruption and integrity issues.
• Adopt the appropriate mechanism for effective governance
• Value the shareholder and stakeholder rights and responsibilities
• Adhere to sound principles of direction and management
• Understand the significance of audit committee, its composition and responsibilities
• Implement best practices on corporate management
• Understand current developments in corporate governance and its environment: an overview of the legal structure of corporate governance; theories of corporate governance
• Comparative dimensions of corporate governance: global convergence or path dependence

Conference Topics and Sessions

“The GCGTACC 2016: Good Corporate Governance, Transparency and Anti-Corruption Conference” will focus on, but is not limited to, the following key topics and sessions:

• Mechanisms of Responsibility, Accountability and Ethics in Local Government
• Corporate Governance and Accountability of State-Owned Enterprises: Linking Discretion and Accountability with Ethics
• Principles of Good Governance for Public Service Organisations: Enhancing Increased Transparency, Responsibility and Accountability …
• Corruption Prevention and Integrity Assurance
• Understanding the Challenges of Corruption Prevention and Integrity Assurance
• Corruption Prevention Strategy and Programs
• Corruption Governance Models
• Politicisation and Work Place Culture
• Foundations of Corruption and Misconduct
• Ethical Models in the Public Sector
• Types of Corruption and Misconduct
• Creating a Transparent & Accountable Government
• Corporate Governance Models and Mechanisms
• Corporate governance in public sector
• A Namibian perspective on good governance, transparency and anti-corruption
• Business ethics as an operational link between corporate governance and anti-corruption
• Good corporate governance and transparency: information = good governance
• Good corporate governance vs corruption at regional and local governance levels

Benefits of Attending the Conference

This Conference is more than a chance to ethically and professionally govern, lead, manage and operate your organization whether it is a Government Ministry, Agency, State owned Enterprise, Regional, Town, or Village Council or private organization. Among others, the conference specifically presents the following benefits to the delegates and stakeholders:

• High profile local, international and Regional Speakers will offer you an exciting array of presentations that will include interactive panel and group table discussions.
• Learn Good Corporate Governance and Transparency Practices and strategies members to combat crime in your areas.
• Learn how an effective corruption prevention strategy can create a new level of corporate and individual respect and reputation.
• Learn how to provide sustainable corruption prevention models.
• Opportunity to master the necessary governance and anti-corruption strategies to prevent crime.
• Increase your professional value and secure your future.
• Gain insight from experts in the field into the way fraud is evolving and hear about the latest developments in corporate governance and anti-corruption efforts to keep pace
• Explore best practices from top companies and government organisations
• Expand your professional network with contacts that can aid your future fraud investigations
• Evaluate the latest anti-corruption tools and services from cutting-edge vendors
• Networking with other participants as well as with the Speakers
• Learn how to manage unexpected and difficult Corruption situations

Who Should Attend

This Conference is ideally suited for everyone involved in policy and procedures formulation and/or implementation at Regional Councils, Town Councils, Village Councils, Line Government Line Ministries and Agencies, State Owned Enterprises, private organizations levels. Specifically, it is critical that the following attend this important event:

• Chief Regional Officers,
• Chief Executive Officers,
• Permanent Secretaries,
• Under Secretaries, Directors,
• Deputy Directors,
• Chief Financial Controllers,
• Chief Finance Managers,
• Accountants,
• Assistant Accountants
• Internal Auditors,
• Human Resources Directors, Managers, Practitioners
• Procurement Directors, Managers, Practitioners,
• Managers,
• Assistant Managers
• Supervisors
• Financial Institutions
• Insurance Organizations
• Medical Funds
• Forensic accountants
• Internal and independent Auditors
• Law enforcement officers and private investigators
• Security and loss prevention professionals
• Governance, risk and compliance professionals
• Experienced professionals seeking to complement existing experience with the knowledge of leading anti-corruption professionals
• Accounting Office Bearers at all levels
• Internal Auditors at all levels
• External Auditors
• Law Enforcement Practitioners at all levels
• Legal Practitioners
• Company Secretaries
• Internal Audit Committees
• Tender Board Members
• Academics and Researchers
• Anyone interested to attend

Registration Procedures

To register, down the Registration form, complete it and e-mail or fax it back with proof of payment before 29th August 2016 to:

The Conference Organizing Committee Contact Person: Mr. Frederick Chizu Simpungwe; E-mail:Info@mutas-edu.org Fax No.: +264 886559294 Cell:+264 81 3294977

Conference Attendance Fees: Conference Registration made & paid for 6 and more Delegates $3,995 per delegate Registrations made & confirmed in writing for 1 to 5 Delegates N$4,995 per delegate

Late Registration Fee: Late Registration fee if registration is made after 29th August 2016 N$1,000 per delegate

Sponsorship and Exhibition Opportunities: Organizations and/or individuals with interest to sponsor or exhibit at this important conference must contact our CEO’s office on Info@mutas-edu.org

Conference Brochure…

Conference Registration Agreement Form….