inclusive service delivery africa (ISDA)

Lessons from the field

Background: Zimbabwe | Tanner Marquis, Unsplash

Agenda for October 23

ISDA Conference: Agenda

The ISDA Conference in Ottawa will present research findings and foster dialogue on how corruption risks undermine the delivery of essential services worldwide. The program features a keynote on Canada’s global leadership in anti-corruption, followed by four panels exploring country case studies, gender mainstreaming, integrity in education systems, and strengthening health system governance. Each session is designed to share evidence-based insights, highlight Canadian and international perspectives, and identify practical strategies for embedding transparency, accountability, and resilience into service delivery at home and abroad.

Location: at the offices of Gowling WLG, 160 Elgin St Suite 2600

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9:00 EST | Registration and Networking Breakfast

9:30 EST | Opening Remarks

  • Susan Côté-Freeman, Board Chair, Transparency International Canada  

  • Elad Gafni, Partner, Gowling WLG 

9:50 EST | Keynote Address

Yasir Naqvi, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of International Trade and Parliamentary Secretary to the Secretary of State, International Development.

Morning Sessions

10:15 EST | Panel 1: ISDA in Action

This session will offer conference participants a comprehensive view of ISDA’s multifaceted approach to strengthening integrity in public service delivery. Through country-level insights from the Democratic Republic of Congo and Zimbabwe, panellists will highlight how different components of the project – research, social accountability initiatives and the Advocacy and Legal Advice Centre (ALAC) – work together to drive systemic change. Evidence-based findings will illustrate the tangible impact of these efforts at the frontline where citizens interact with public services.   

Moderator: Salvator Cusimano, Executive Director, Transparency International Canada

Ernest Mpararo, Executive Director, Ligue Congolaise de Lutte contre la Corruption, DRC 

Tafadzwa Chikumbu, Executive Director, Transparency International Zimbabwe 

Nikola Sandoval, Regional Program Manager, Transparency International Secretariat

11:15 EST | 10-minute break

11:30 EST | Panel 2: Gender Mainstreaming and Social Inclusion

This panel critically examines the intersection of gender equity, anti-corruption and anti-discrimination, emphasizing that gender awareness should be foundational to integrity in public service delivery. It will explore the ways in which gender norms, power relations, and inequalities shape how corruption and discrimination occurs, determine who is most affected, and influence the severity and influence the consequences of those impacts. It will challenge practitioners, policymakers, and donors to adopt approaches that address gendered corruption risks, and discriminatory practices to deliver more equitable results.

Moderator: Dr. Sheila Rao, Department of Sociology and Anthropology, Carleton University

Mary Awelana Addah, Executive Director, Transparency International Ghana 

Cheyanne Scharbatke-Church, Director, BESA Global and Co-Director, Corruption, Justice and Legitimacy Program 

Kady Seguin, Research and Policy Director, IMPACT 

Erin Kiley, Director, International Programs, OXFAM Canada

12:30 EST | Networking Lunch

Afternoon Sessions

13:30 EST | Panel 3: Integrity in Educational systems

Drawing on both African and Canadian perspectives, this panel will explore how corruption and discrimination can hinder access to education - particularly for women, girls, and marginalized groups. Using Rwanda’s findings from the Inclusive Service Delivery Africa (ISDA) project as a case example, the discussion will highlight the institutional and cultural challenges that undermine integrity in education, from sextortion and gender-based violence to systemic inequities and weak oversight. By contrasting grassroots and international experiences, the panel aims to surface strategies for embedding greater transparency, accountability, and gender equity in education systems, ensuring safe and equitable opportunities to learn for all.

Moderator: Samuel Kaninda, Regional Advisor, Africa, Transparency International Secretariat

Alana Livesey, Lead, Gender Equality and Inclusion | Responsable principale en égalité de genre et inclusion, Plan International Canada

Apollinaire Mupiganyi, Executive Director, Transparency International Rwanda 

Beverley Park, Director, International and Social Justice, Canadian Teachers Federation

14:30 EST | 10-minute break

14:45 EST | Panel 4: No health system is immune: integrity in health service delivery

This panel highlights that corruption in health service delivery is not confined to one country or one region – it can exist in different forms everywhere where people seek care. Whether it is through informal payments, political interference in staffing or opaque procurement practices, corruption creates obstacles to access and harms those who are most vulnerable. The discussion will bring together ISDA chapter and Canadian perspective to focus on the shared challenges of access: drug availability, strengthening community health centres and building systems that make quality health care affordable and inclusive. By underscoring how no system is immune this panel will invite policymakers, donors and civil society to reflect on the universality of these risks and the need for collective action to protect health as a right. 

Moderator: Dr. Foluso Ishola, Board of Directors, Canadian Public Health Association

Sophie Campbell-White, Senior Programme Development Officer, Transparency International UK, Global Thematic Networks 

Andriamananjara Gérald Pruvot, Health Project Office, Transparency International Madagascar

Nafissatou Diop, Senior Program Specialist, Global Health, IDRC  

Céleste Thériault, Executive Director, National Indigenous Diabetes Association

15:45 EST | Exchange with the Audience

16:15 EST | Concluding Remarks

Huguette Labelle, Past Chair, Transparency International; Member, International Council, Transparency International

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Background: Ghana | Kofi Nuamah Barden, Unsplash