A team from the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) has met with the people of Tawuya Village in Kambia District to help beneficiaries of the World Bank-supported COVID-19 Emergency Social Safety Net (SSN) project understand the importance of the project and how beneficiaries can report grievances related to the implementation of the project. The meeting took place on the 10th May, 2022.

Head of Outreach Unit at the ACC, Musa Jawara, who led the team, urged the people to stand together as a single unit to fight corruption. He reminded them of the dangers of corruption which he said has affected every sector of society.

Mr Jawara highlighted how corruption keeps depriving citizens of their resources and amenities. He informed residents of Tawuya about the Commission's whistleblower scheme, which he said was to allow them play an active part in the fight against corruption by reporting instances of corruption to the ACC.

Public Relations Assistant of the ACC David Yusuf Kabia said that the government and its partners introduced the SSN project to cushion the harsh realities of the COVID-19 pandemic on the poor people. He said it is therefore the expectation of government and its partners that the funds will be used judiciously. “Do not keep quiet when you experience any acts of corruption in this project,” he noted.

Paramount Chief of Gbileh Chiefdom, Alimamy Sorie Yillah II, on behalf of his people, immensely thanked the ACC for the engagement, noting that he and the people cannot be more grateful for the engagement. He spoke about his satisfaction in the way the project is being implemented, stating that the people have been receiving correct cash payments and vowed to report to the ACC any suspected act of corruption.

Mariama Sankoh, one of the beneficiaries, shared with the team that her son is currently a university student at the Institute of Public Administration and Management (IPAM) in Freetown thanks to the cash she received from the project.

Another beneficiary, Isatu Kabbay, spoke of how broke she was before the SSN project helped her establish a business through the direct cash transfer.

Pa Mohamed Sankoh, another beneficiary, told the audience that before the SSN project, he had nothing. However, the first payment helped him send his child back to school to continue with studies in order to write the West African Senior School Certificate Examination. The second payment, he said, was used to take care of his ill wife.