inclusive service delivery africa (ISDA)
Lessons from the field
Background: Zimbabwe | Tanner Marquis, Unsplash
Agenda
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.
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
Nikola Sandoval, Regional Program Manager, TI Secretariat
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, TI Zimbabwe
Nikola Sandoval, Regional Program Manager, TI Secretariat
11:15 EST | 10-minute break
11:30 EST | Panel 2: Gender Mainstreaming
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 (Invited)
Mary Awelana Addah, Executive Director, TI Ghana
Cheyanne Scharbatke-Church, Director, BESA Global and Co-Director, Corruption, Justice and Legitimacy Program
Gisele Eva Côté, Spécialiste principale genre et inclusion sociale, Senior gender and social inclusion specialist, IMPACT
Erin Kiley, Director, International Programs, OXFAM
12:30 EST | Networking Lunch
Afternoon Sessions
13:30 EST | Panel 4: Integrity in Educational systems
Drawing on Canadian and ISDA perspectives, with Rwanda presenting its key findings as a case example, the discussion will explore solutions such as transparent procurement systems, school-level financial disclosures, robust Education Management Information Systems (EMIS), public expenditure tracking surveys, citizen-led monitoring, and independent audits, as well as equity safeguards like needs-based funding formulas and independent oversight in admissions and scholarship allocation. Panelists will consider how Canadian models, including provincial audit frameworks, freedom of information provisions, and open contracting approaches, can inform education programming. The aim is to surface adaptable strategies for embedding transparency and accountability into education policy.
Moderator: Samuel Kaninda, Regional Advisor, Africa, Transparency International Secretariat
Peter Simms, Senior Education Advisor, Plan International Canada
Apollinaire Mupiganyi, Executive Director, Rwanda
Beverly 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. Gail Webber, Family Physician and Researcher
Mialisoa Faraniaina Randriamampianina, Executive Director, Madagascar
Sophie Campbell-White, Senior Programme Development Officer, Transparency International UK, Global Thematic Networks
Nafissatou Diop, Senior Program Specialist, Global Health, IDRC
15:45 EST | Exchange with the Audience
15:30 EST | Concluding Remarks
Huguette Labelle, Past Chair, Transparency International; Member, International Council, Transparency International