4. Page 4 Contd from Pg 3 effective and efficient. The primary aim of declaration of assets, income and liabilities with the Commission by elect- ed and appointed public officers, officers within grade 7 and above and those with fid uciary responsibilities, is to in- still integrity in public life. It is another means of telling public officers to liv e within legitimate means. 29 Mr Chairman, students of this university, all these actions and interventions highlighted are often referred to as the carrot approach in the fight against corruption. We have also often used the stick approach in our anti - corruption campaigns. This involves enforcement through investigation and prosecution of individuals who blatan tly disregard best practices and standard procedures in the handling of public resources. 30 We have also often pursued and recovered stolen public funds and other resources and ret urned them to the people of Sierra Leone, followed by other severe consequences like barring those engaged in such cor rupt acts from holding public offices. 31 Mr Chairman, Ladies and Gentlemen, these multi - faceted strategies have helped us in the recovery of over 50 billion (old) leones in the last six years. They have also helped us made marked improvement in the mandatory ‘Control of Corruption’ indicators in the Millennium Challenge Corporation scorecard, with an outst anding average score of 75 percent in the last six years. As the country is celebrating the granting of 480 million dollars grant by the US government, the ACC is proud to have a played a pivotal role in the attainment of this grant . 32 We are also proud to state that the most recent Afrobarometer Survey R eport, Round 9, 2021/2023, covering 39 countries, has ranked Sierra Leone Government’s Performance in fighting corruption with a Score of 58 per cent, far above the 39 - country average of 29 per cent. Sierra Leone is also ranked as one of ONLY Six (6) African c ountries with majority approval of their Government’s stellar performance in fighting corruption. 33 In the previous years, Sierra Leone has moved 22 places upwards in the Transparency International ’s Global Corruption Country Rankings, from 130 in 2017 to 108 in 2023 . 34 Mr Chairman, Ladies and Gentlemen, the country is currently putting together its fifth generation of the National Anti - Corruption Strategy with more focus on prevention. As we often say, ‘Prevention is bet ter than cure’. Most highly ranked transparent countries in the world prioritized robust prevention measures in the fight agains t corruption. I assure you that in the next years of the fight against corruption, we can only be ranked bett er. 35 Let me end by thanking the Chancellor, Vice Chancellor and P rincipal of the University of Sierra Leone, the Deputy Vice Chancellor, academic and supporting staff of this college, and particularly you the executive and members of Students Against Corruption Sierra Leone for this opportunity acc orded me to serve as keynote speaker and the person who will officially launch this chapter of your associa tion. Corruption affects everybody. But you can also agree with me that young people have been particularly affected by the consequences of unchecked corruption. This is why I am often delighted to see young people like you championing t he cause of eradicating corruption in the country. I pray, we all put hands on deck to give corruption the blow that it deserves. I THANK YOU!

2. Page 2 I n the growing digital and ensuing technological age, the Anti - Corruption Commission (ACC) on Saturday 29th June, 2024, engaged bloggers, Social Media Influencers and Journalists with a view to enlisting them into the fight against corruption. The engagement which took place at the Albertson Hotel Conference Hall, Kenema, attracted attendance from over 45 Resident Bloggers, Social Media Influencers and Journalists in the different districts and parts of the Country. Making a statement, Commissioner Francis Ben Kaifala Esq. informed them that this is the second engagement after a similar one held in June 2022 in Freetown, but deliberately chose to incorporate other Bloggers and Influencers outside Freetown, hence bringing the engagement to the Provinces. The Commissioner further stated that the engagement is intentioned to support the development strides of his Excellency the President, Brigadier Rtd. Dr. Julius Maada Bio, which underscores his critical role as the Commissioner of the ACC - to inject integrity in the entire system as it will provide the enabling environment to realize and maximize the President's initiatives. He dilated on the importance of discipline stating that it is im- portant to have disciplined thought, disciplined action and disciplined people for a country to get to where it should be. "As the Head of the ACC l am committed to doing this and l am happy you have decided to join in to propagate integrity messages and support His Excellency the President's agenda to wage a war against Corruption and indiscipline", he averred. Alhaji Dr. Brima Rogers, Special Envoy on Trade and Investment, that disclosed that he lived with the Commissioner in Boston Massachusetts during his recent studies in Havard, commended the young people for showing what he described as a commendable desire to support the L – R Commissioner Francis Ben Kaifala Esq., Alhaji Dr. Brima Rogers, Director Patrick Sandi whilst chairing the engagement . Francis Ben Kaifala Esq., Commissioner (Head) ACC, addressing participants at the en- gagement cause of fighting corruption which he leads. He charged them to remain focused whilst taking them through bits of his personal journey to excellence. Dr. Rogers urged them to continue to emulate Commissioner Kaifala, stating that he has never seen someone so passionate about excellence and so committed to fighting the scourge of corruption. He maintained that it is this belief in the Commissioner that urged him to honor the duty of canvassing investors to bring fortunes into Sierra Leone and help in laundering its Image in America and other parts of the world. The Director of Public Education and External Outreach Department, ACC, Patrick Sandi whilst chairing the meeting, endeared the participants to remain focused to the cause and be bold to brave through the imminent challenges that beset the fight. Mr. Sandi charged them to be passionate, consistent and be open to asking questions and disseminating contents of ACC to their large following that constitutes the youthful majority. Solomon Bockarie, in his statement commended Commissioner, describing him as a people - centered person that accepted him from the very first day he approached him. He continued that he admired the successes of the Commissioner and how he quickly changed the fortunes of Sierra Leone in the fight against corruption, and felt the need to join in this cause. Mr. Bockarie added that, he felt the need to get a team from across the Country, to provide a solid support to the Commission by propagating and cascading vital integrity messages. The engagement was climaxed with a Position Paper presented on how as bloggers and media influencers, they will support the fight against corruption in Sierra Leone and critical questions posed regarding the fight against Corruption, with the Commissioner providing the adequate responses. By: Alex A. Bah, Public Relations Assistant, ACC

3. Contd. from Pg 1 Page 3 14.Influence means using your skills for the benefit of others and the nation. 15 By truth, you stay truthful to God and man. 16. Honour means showing respect to others. 17. Dignity means you live a life style of decorum and decency. 18. Authenticity requires you to have a pure heart. All these pillars go hand in hand. 19. The book also makes reference to Dennis Cook’s categoriza- tion of Integrity:  ‘Category 1 - Stay out of trouble Integrity - here you try to stay out of trouble because of the consequences of getting caught in unholy acts.  ‘Category 2 - Selective Integrity’ - this refers to people being selective - do some things right while also engaging in wrongful acts.  ‘Category 3 –Step - by - step Integrity’ - Here, people are ‘intentional about developing [their] character...[as] it takes dedication and devotion to advance [it].’  ‘Category 4 –Sustainable Integrity’ - this “refers to people with established character [who] practice integrity and guard their reputation’. 20 Mr Chairman, Ladies and Gentlemen, the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) notes that “Fighting corruption and promoting integrity in both the private and public sectors are critical to fostering an environment of trust and accountability, and conducive to sustainable and inclusive economic development.” 21.According to UNESCO, “Facilitating our students’ learning about integrity in school can help empower the next generation to prevent corruption. Indeed, it is through education for public integrity that the behavioural norms and values for society that challenge corruption and support integrity are passed on.” 22.The OECD recommends ways tertiary and secondary Institutions could help imbibe the values of intercity in students and pupils; they include providing educational support to lecturers/teachers, students/pupils in educational institutions on issues of integrity and mainstreaming such issues in their curriculums. Let me hasten to state that the ACC has been doing far much more in this area. 23. Through our Public Education and Outreach Department, we have established Integrity Clubs and Accountability Now Clubs in many schools and tertiary institutions across the country. The clubs are a breeding ground for integrity ambassadors. With these clubs, we engage lecturers, teachers, students and pupils on the values of integrity, accountability and transparency. 24. The Commission also has its regular ‘Meet the School’ and ‘Meet the University’ campaigns. These campaigns often target schools and tertiary institutions across the country, and they are used to convey anti - corruption messages. Various offences in the Anti - Corruption Act 2008 (as amended in 2019), especially offences related to academic malpractices, are highlighted and extensively discussed during these engagements. 25 The conduct of public lectures, especially in tertiary institutions, is another method often employed by the Commission to promote and instill integrity in young people. Like the one we are currently having here today, the Commission has held several similar lectures in various tertiary institutions in the country. 26 Through our Prevention Department, the Commission has also conducted systems and processes reviews of various public sector institutions, including the Ministry of Basic and Senior Secondary Education, the Ministry of Technical and Higher Education and educational institutions such as the University of Sierra Leone, which constituent colleges include IPAM. The main aim of these interventions is to build institutions that are not only free from corruption, but ones that are effective, efficient and that can properly deliver proper services to citizens. 27 Coupled with our systems and processes review interventions is the formation of integrity management committees in public institutions. The IMCs, as we often call them, are meant to mainstream integrity and other anti - corruption measures in public institutions, including public educational institutions like IPAM. 28 In the last six years, we have also made the Assets Declaration regime far more Contd. on Pg 4

1. 1st —5th July 2024 Issue 2 Volume 24 INTEGRITY HOUSE, TOWER HILL FREETOWN, SIERRA LEONE EDITORIAL TEAM EDITOR - IN - CHIEF Abubakarr Turay EDITORS Sylvanus Blake Alex A. Bah LAYOUT & GRAPHICS Philippa M. Davies EDITORIAL ADVISERS Augustine Foday Ngobie Patrick Sandi 1. Mr. Chairman, ladies and gentlemen, please permit me to stand on existing protocols. 2. Mr Chairman, Ladies and Gentlemen, American reality TV host, Oprah Winfrey, says “Real integrity is doing the right thing, knowing that nobody’s going to know whether you did it or not.” 3. According to the reggae legend, Bob Marley, “the greatness of a man is not in how much wealth he acquires, but in his integrity and his ability to affect those around him positively.” 4. Renowned British civil servant, Stephen Lovegrove would say “Integrity is a life where your beliefs and intentions are aligned with your words and actions.” 5.Cambridge English Dictionary defines Integrity as “the quality of being honest and having strong moral principles that you refuse to change 6. However, one of my all - time favourite definitions of integrity is the one by Charles Marshall which states that "Integrity is doing the right thing, even when no one is looking". 7. Integrity is not a garment, but if you have it - or lack it, people can see it. 8. Corruption, on the other hand, is defined by Transparency International as “the abuse of power for private gain.” According to the transparency watchdog, it involves “public servants demanding or taking money or favours in exchange for services; politicians [or people in position of trust] misusing [public funds or] money... corporations bribing public officials to get lucrative deals.” 9. The World Bank, describes the scourge as “a form of dishonesty or criminal offence undertaken by a person or organisation entrusted with a position of authority. “ 10.We all know that, the Anti - Corruption Act of 2008 (as amended in 2019) does not provide a definition of the term ‘corruption’. The Act however outlines a list of offences and practices which constitute an act of corruption. They Commissioner Francis Ben Kaifala Esq. delivering the Lecture The students of IPAM listening attentively to the Lecture Contd on Pg 3 A PUBLIC LECTURE BY FRANCIS BEN KAIFALA ESQ., COMMISSIONER OF TH E ANTI - CORRUPTION COMMISSION OF THE REPUBLIC OF SIERRA LEONE ORGAN- ISED BY STUDENTS AGAINST CORRUPTION SIERRA LEONE, AT THE INSTITUTE OF PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION AND MANAGEMENT, FREETOWN, SIERRA LEONE, ON 4 TH JULY, 2024. include; Failure to Declare Assets, Bribery, Misappropriation of Public/ Donor Funds/ Property, Corrupt Acquisition of Wealth, Unexplained Wealth, Bid Rigging, Impersonation, Failure to Declare Assets, etc. 11 .Mr Chairman, Ladies and Gentlemen, we all know that ending corruption requires us all to institute and mainstream integrity in our places of work, lifestyles, educational institutions and communities. 12 A Canadian non - governmental organisation, Commissioning a Lifestyle of Integrity, in their book titled ‘Integrity: The Best Foundation’, identifies six pillars of integrity: Trust, Influence, Truth, Honour, Dignity and Authenticity. 13 By trust, you keep to your words and values.