By: Yangie D. Sesay- Public Education Officer, ACC”
The Commissioner of the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC), Francis Ben Kaifala Esq., has called for stronger institutional ownership and accountability in the implementation of the National Anti-Corruption Strategy (NACS) 2024–2029.
He made the call during an engagement between the National Anti-Corruption Secretariat (NACS) Steering Committee and focal persons of Integrity Management Committees (IMCs) in public offices, held at the ACC Conference Room, Integrity House, Tower Hill, Freetown on Wednesday, 16th September 2026.
Commissioner Kaifala explained that the NACS monitoring was not intended to label institutions as corrupt, but to assess whether they were fulfilling the commitments they had made under the Strategy. He said institutions were assessed against specific indicators, including whether they had functional IMCs, met regularly and could identify and address corruption risks.
He further emphasized the importance of internal auditors and other institutional oversight mechanisms in identifying weaknesses and ensuring that established procedures were followed. He urged institutional leaders to pay greater attention to the advice and findings of internal auditors, particularly in areas such as procurement and financial management.
“Your auditor is your friend. Effective collaboration with auditors can help institutions identify weaknesses and address them before they become more serious accountability issues,” he said.
The Deputy Commissioner of ACC Augustine Foday Ngobie, said that the ACC had a limited workforce and could not be present in every institution, making the role of focal persons and IMCs critical to ensuring transparency and accountability in the day-to-day operations of their respective public institutions.
He therefore called for greater leadership commitment, improved coordination between IMCs and institutional management, regular monitoring and proper reporting of implementation activities.
The Director of NACS, Mariama Navo, said that the Secretariat was responsible for coordination, facilitation, monitoring and technical support, but could not implement institutional commitments on behalf of MDAs. She stressed that IMCs should not exist merely to fulfil a requirement of the NACS, but should function as active mechanisms for identifying corruption risks and promoting integrity within institutions.
She therefore encouraged them to return to their respective institutions with clearer responsibilities and stronger engagement to ensure that NACS commitments were implemented and supported with verifiable evidence.
The engagement concluded with an opportunity for focal persons and institutional representatives to openly discuss challenges affecting implementation, and identify practical measures to strengthen the work of IMCs.
The engagement forms part of ongoing efforts by the NACS Steering Committee and the ACC to strengthen implementation of the NACS 2024–2029 and improve institutional performance ahead of subsequent monitoring exercises.
