The Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) considers mobilizing community efforts against corruption as critical to winning the fight against it. Reaffirming this commitment, the Public Education and Outreach Unit of the Commission's northern regional office held a community engagement session with stakeholders and other members of 3 Mile in Gbanti Chiefdom, Bombali District, to raise awareness about the need to combat corruption. This engagement took place on 25 February 2025 at the community’s Functional Adult Literacy Program Centre.
According to ACC’s Senior Public Education Officer in the region, Aiah Sourie, the campaign against malfeasance within state institutions demands an earnest national participation – across every tier of central and local governance and every community in the country. This, he further stated, is advisedly important and urgent because corruption forestalls national development and, as such, affects everyone indiscriminately.
He said the 2024-2028 National Anti-Corruption Strategy (NACS) which was launched in December 2024, calls for inclusivity to bolster integrity, transparency, and accountability in public institutions. Mr. Sourie urged the stakeholders to step forward and take responsibility in the fight against graft in their respective capacities. “You should act and be seen as standard bearers for best practices and commitment to ensuring that the interest of the entire community takes precedence over selfish endeavours,” the officer implored.
He proposed that the leaders could form a committee that would be responsible to ensure that transparency and accountability is upheld in all communal projects funded either by the District Council or non-governmental organizations. The committee, he stressed, would serve as a testament to the community’s collective resolve to prevent corruption, and the ACC would be ready to empower it to achieve its purpose.
ACC’s Prevention Officer, Musa Mansaray, maintained, in his contribution, that corruption induces inept service delivery and exacerbates rural poverty.Mr. Mansaray maintained that the situation becomes more appalling disclosing that some community members get involved in acts of corruption by, for example, buying stolen building materials for a building project in the community. “Where community stakeholders are involved in such furtive and selfish acts, the rest of the community is deprived and hardly has an opportunity to seek redress,” he said.
The community was also educated on the law against corruption and possible penalties. In the last six years stiffer amendments have been made to the 2008 Anti-Corruption Act, according Ibrahim Bangura, ACC Legal Clerk, with particular reference to penalties. Mr. Bangura informed his audience that upon conviction a minimum fine of NLE 50,000 and/or minimum prison term of 5 years on a count of corruption. He advised the stakeholders to not abuse their positions, encouraging them and the rest of the community members to resist and reject corruption using the following toll-free lines: 077985985, 077986986.
