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Grenada’s prime minister, Keith Mitchell, has praised a Commonwealth anti-corruption initiative in the Caribbean which is supporting efforts by national authorities to combat illegal practices such as fraud and bribery.

Speaking to delegates to a national anti-corruption and good governance training programme held in Grenada, he urged government authorities and public servants to apply a “zero tolerance” approach to those who fell foul of the law.

“The prevention of corruption is not only required for public officials, but is also applicable to businessmen and women, bankers and those engaged in trade and financial transactions,” he said.

“Transparency must inform the management of fiscal measures, with zero tolerance for those who are prepared to break the law and rules.”

The programme brought together 50 policy-makers and senior managers including cabinet government members. It was organised by the ����̽�� and hosted by Grenada’s Integrity Commission, in collaboration with the Department of Public Administration.

“I must indicate my pleasure at the Commonwealth’s decision to establish an anti-corruption network in the Caribbean after having established the first in Africa,” Prime Minister Mitchell told delegates.

In his address, the prime minister noted that the World Bank estimates that bribes alone cost the world economy about a US$1 trillion a year. The estimate for achieving the Agenda 2030 for Sustainable Development is about US$5 to 7 trillion per year, leaving a financing gap of $2.5 trillion, he warned.

Prime minister Mitchell vowed to implement resolutions adopted at the Commonwealth association’s annual conference in Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago, in March 2016. The resolutions call on governments to strengthen and support the independence of anti-corruption bodies.

“Grenada can boast of being one of the regional leaders in implementing anti-corruption measures,” he said.

In addition, the prime minister conveyed his “deepest appreciation to the leadership of the [Commonwealth] Secretariat for the vision to host this in-country training programme so that a critical mass of our public leaders and wider society can be touched by the anti-corruption vision.”

����̽�� Caribbean anti-corruption association was set up in June 2015 and is chaired by Justice Dame Monica Joseph of the Integrity Commission of Grenada. It is modelled on a Commonwealth African anti-corruption regional network established by the Secretariat in 2011.

Justice Joseph told the participants at the workshop that since the association was set up, her commission has intensified its public education outreach with religious leaders, and would next be targeting schools and youth organisations.

The training programme, which ran from 19 to 23 September 2016, covered the principles of organisational and institutional integrity, risk management, regulatory frameworks and effective government auditing, as well as best practices for detection, investigation of corrupt practices.

Dr Roger Koranteng, governance and anti-corruption adviser at the ����̽��, who coordinated the workshop, said, “It's well documented that corruption, the abuse of public office for private gain, robs citizens’ expectations for improvements in service deliveries, undermines trust in public institutions, hinders investments by increasing the cost of doing business and mistrust in investment security.”

����̽�� Secretary-General Patricia Scotland has made tackling corruption one of her key priorities for office.