Don Borelli Op-Ed in New Vision

12 NEW VISION, Thursday, March 5, 2015
COMMENT
OPINION
Leadership Code
should fully be
operationalised
T
he Inspector General of Government,
Irene Mulyagonja and the Speaker of
Parliament, Rebecca Kadaga, declared
their wealth to each other on Tuesday.
According to the Leadership Code, public
officials are supposed to declare their assets
and liabilities every second year in the month of
March.
However, the intention of the law is being
subverted by the lack of a functioning
Leadership Code Tribunal and access by the
public to their leaders’ records. This is not unlike
many other laws on our books which have been
judged at par with international best practice
but the public does not enjoy the benefit of
these superlative documents for lack of proper
implementation.
It cannot be overemphasised how much
corruption is distorting our economy and
widening the gap between the rich and the poor.
By stealing or misappropriating monies intended
to fund infrastructure development and social
services, millions of people are being denied the
opportunity to climb to a higher social status. In
addition, full disclosure will shield our MPs from
people trying to bribe or blackmail them, a real
danger given the extent of their indebtedness to
banks around town.
The World Bank once estimated that up to
sh500b a year was going missing from the state
coffers. Unfortunately, the perpetrators of these
crimes enjoy their ill-gotten wealth among us,
serving as a discouragement to hardworking
Ugandans while encouraging people who have
no qualms helping themselves to taxpayers’
money!
I
t is not asking too much of our leaders
to go beyond their secret declarations to
allow us to vet the declarations. It is not
unusual. In the UK not only are the wealth
declarations of MPs open to the public but so are
their expense accounts. This transparency forces
the MPs to live up to a higher moral standard
than our own parliamentarians currently suffer.
It might be asking too much for the MPs to open
up their affairs to the public they serve but it
shouldn’t be if they have nothing to hide.
New Vision
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The outgoing finance minister, Maria Kiwanuka, has said Uganda’s economic growth is set to accelerate to 5.3%
Don Borelli
Security vital to investors
T
his is my second trip to Uganda in approximately half
a year; my fifth overall. My first trip was under rather
unfortunate circumstances: I led the Federal Bureau of
Investigation (FBI) team who came to Uganda in 2010
to assist in the investigation of the bombings conducted by AlShabaab during the final World Cup game. So why do I keep
coming back? Because of Uganda’s great potential.
I am now in the private sector serving as the Chief Operating Officer of the Soufan Group, a world class global security
consulting firm. Being based in New York, I have had the opportunity to discuss both business and security with Uganda’s
forthcoming and engaging Deputy Permanent Representative
to the United Nations, Amb. Kintu Nyago. At the invitation of
Ambassador Kintu, I have had many meetings with Ugandan
policy makers, senior civil servants, security professionals and
business people. In all of these discussions there is
a common theme — security is critical to the
continued economic growth of Uganda.
Uganda has taken some very positive
steps to promote economic growth. A
pro-business, inclusive and democratic
government is at the core of this strategy.
But Uganda has also been blessed with
great human and natural resources. The
newly discovered oil reserves have the potential to transform Uganda’s economy into
a vibrant and thriving model for the region.
As Standard Bank was quoted in Ventures
Magazine on July 22, 2014, “Discoveries of East
African oil and gas are well set to fundamentally
transform the economies of the region as the fuel
resources usher in new investment in road, rail,
power and industrial infrastructure.”
However, with this good fortune comes the
serious task of protecting it. The threats facing
the energy sector are ever changing and very
real. Terrorists view critical infrastructure and
economic engines as prime targets. Organised crime groups are notorious for bunkering
(stealing) oil from pipelines and refineries. And
environmental groups look to disrupt oil and
gas operations to further their political agenda of
protecting the environment.
So what does that mean to the business
community and policy makers? Investors seek
security. President Barack Obama recently
announced that US companies are planning $14b worth of
investments in Africa. The United States remains the largest
source of investment on the continent, and most of that has
been in the oil and gas sector. However, American businesses
are less knowledgeable and more afraid of risks in Africa than
their European and Asian rivals. One of the main reasons for
this fear is a perceived lack of security. A paradigm shift is
required through training and capacity building. The Soufan
Group, has trained professional security services from all over
the world. Though training and capacity building costs money,
the return on investment can be great. Through enhanced
security, some of our clients have been rewarded with huge
investment contracts; while others have been chosen to host
the World Cup football games. It is not a coincidence that our
clients have prospered through an investment in their security
services.
Notwithstanding the 2010 Al Shabaab attack and its history
with the Lords Resistance Army, Uganda is a safe country.
However, it resides in the middle of a precarious neighbourhood, where incidents of violence and extremism are commonplace. A policy-maker in one of our client countries once told
me, “You are only as strong as your weakest neighbour.” And
The Soufan Group can make a positive contribution in this
regard. Uganda has the potential to further consolidate its
position as a regional hub and a centre for inclusion, peace,
and prosperity. But this requires a well trained, motivated
and modern security apparatus. We specialise in providing
this capacity.
The Soufan Group is committed to working
with Uganda to establish a regional training
Centre of Excellence in Kampala to benefit
Uganda and the region. It would deploy
state-of-the-art technology and build a
cadre of security leaders who could meet
the challenges of tomorrow’s emerging
threats, all within the framework of Uganda’s
constitutional obligations.
As a former FBI executive, I am proud to
have worked with the Ugandan security services in the sad aftermath of the 2010 terror
attacks. Together we made a difference. I hope
to continue on this work as a private citizen.
I keep coming
back because of
Uganda’s great
potential
The writer is the Chief Operating Officer of the Soufan Group, a security
consulting firm in the US