BY: DAVID YUSUF KABIA

The Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC), through it's National Anti-Corruption Strategy (NACS) Secretariat, has engaged Focal Persons of Integrity Management Committees (IMCs) of Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) of Government in order to report on the progress made in the implementation of the recommended actions contained in the National Anti Corruption Strategy (NACS) 2019-2023. The meeting, which was held on 29th September, 2021 at the Cathedral Hall in Freetown, was also meant for the Commission and the MDAs to share experiences for effective corruption prevention in public institutions. 

The Commissioner of ACC Francis Ben Kaifala Esq, welcomed representatives of the MDAs, noting that “The fight against corruption cannot be won by the ACC alone”. The establishment of IMCs in MDAs, the Commissioner furthered, was a deliberate step to make MDAs take ownership of the fight against corruption in order to reduce its prevalence in public service delivery institutions by adhering to proper systems and processes.

In his description of the incentives for corruption, he carefully outlined, among other things, that monopoly and pressure from surrounding situations are key in spurring even the most honest of civil servants to be corrupt. In the absence of systems and processes and the over centralizion of power in one person creates room for corruption, he further said. Playing by the rules and best practices and reminding one another to do so, Mr. Kaifala noted, is the surest way corruption can be defeated in MDAs. 

The ACC Commissioner expressed happiness over the reduction of corruption in public sector institutions as shown by data-led reports conducted by the Afro Barometer and other credible institutions. He therefore congratulated members of the IMCs for the work done and encouraged them to continue partnering with the ACC in the fight against corruption and to work harder in ensuring the systems already established in their various MDAs are given prominence.

Earlier, the Chairman of the meeting, Deputy Commissioner of ACC, Augustine Foday Ngobie, reminded members of the IMCs of their responsibility in ensuring that their MDAs are compliant with the established systems and processes in order to prevent corruption. 

Deputy Director of the NACS Secretariat, Mrs. Edita Fofana, in her explanation of the reasons for the meeting, emphasized that the 2019-2023 National Anti-Corruption Strategy provided for the establishment of IMCs in MDAs in a bid to make the institutions comply with the recommendations of the Strategy. While going through the report, which categorizes the levels of compliance of MDAs in implementing the NACS recommendations, she emphasized that many MDAs have been outstanding while some others have been non-responsive. She encouraged those who are yet to reach their threshold to do better. 

An experience-sharing discussion by members of the different IMCs climaxed the meeting.

©Public Education and Outreach Department ACC