11th July, 2021
The Anti-Corruption Commission, Sierra Leone (ACC-SL) and Transparency International (TI) Sierra Leone Chapter, Commemorate African Anti-Corruption Day – July 11, 2021
Today, July 11, is the African Anti-Corruption Day. On this day in 2003, the African Union Convention on Preventing and Combating Corruption (AUCPCC) was adopted in Maputo, Mozambique which came into effect in 2006 and has since then been ratified by 44 Member States of the African Union including Sierra Leone. The purpose of this day is to give prominence to the fight against corruption through the commemoration of the adoption of the AUCPCC as a mechanism for fighting corruption in Africa.
This year, we commemorate the fifth edition of this Day on the theme “Regional Economic Communities: Critical Actors in the Implementation of the African Union Convention on Preventing and Combating Corruption”. We wish to register our appreciation to the Government and People of Sierra Leone for their sustained efforts towards the fight against corruption. Sierra Leone is doing a handsome work in the fight against corruption based on data and statistics from credible international and domestic indexes including; the Millennium Challenge Corporation Scorecard, the Transparency International (TI) Afro-Barometer Ratings and the Annual Global Corruption Perception Index. However we still need to do more as a country, if we are to eradicate corruption and change our country’s development trajectory.
Corruption is a global challenge that reduces our prosperity by 5% of global GDP every year ($2.6 trillion – World Economic Forum) and Africa/Sierra Leone bear the brunt of this menace. In addition to hampering economic growth and investment, corruption also undermines the stability of societies and the ability of Governments to meet the needs of their citizens. States, including ours are therefore required to be committed to battling corruption in all its forms. Thankfully, there are reasons to hope that we are positioned and moving towards this as a country.
As we continue to intensify our engagement with members of the Government, senior officials, non state actors and the general public, let us remind ourselves that corruption is the most significant obstacle to our aspirations as a nation. Let us on this day reflect on the true ravaging effects of corruption on our nation. It is a threat to everything good and to everyone. As partners in the wider accountability space, we stand united in solidarity with Sierra Leoneans and the African Continent to reinstate our tenacity and determination to continue to work even harder in promoting and consolidating the fight against corruption. We are resolved that accountability and transparency shall take their rightful places in our ongoing campaign.
The ACC and TI-SL call on Sierra Leoneans to speak up against corruption, report any suspected acts of corruption to the ACC and exhibit integrity and accountability in our dealings.
Francis Ben Kaifala Esq.
Commissioner, ACC-SL
Lavina Banduah
Executive Director, TI-SL
