The National Anti-Corruption Strategy secretariat (NACs) of the Anti-Corruption Commission on Tuesday 5^th December 2017 at the Cathedral Hall, Freetown conducted one day workshop for Integrity Management Committees (IMCs) of various government Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) on sustaining the Pay No Bribe (PNB) campaign.

The objective of the workshop was to enhance the implementation Phase and to creat a new Pay No Bribe strategy geared towards improving good service delivery as well as minimize the incidences of petty and grand corruption in these entities.

Welcoming participants to the workshop, the Director of NACs, Nabillahi Musa Kamara expressed his appreciation for the large turnout and commended participants in complying with the PNB bench marks proffered in the last quarter. He commended the Sierra Leone Police for taking action on the first PNB report even though they are always on top of the PNB report data. He also commended other IMCs for their commitment in taking appropriate actions on the outcome of the first report.

Speaking on the implementation phase and the new PNB strategy, NACs Coordinator, Edita Fofana informed the audience that it is quite clear that they have successfully completed the pilot phase and in this implementation phase, a lot of issues have been raised which as led them as a team to come up with a strategy to find the way forward and what they can do to ensure that the project succeeds. She said that the workshop is to remind the IMCs that when the Commission sends out reports, they capture the actions taken that cover the specific MDA. She maintained that they always accept these issues, and that they don’t only look at them as data, but also to ensure that the report and the actions taken are for the benefit of the country. She also spoke on the PNB theory of change which she said is to ensure that the project is effective and result oriented. Madam Fofana stated that MDAs make informed decision in a sense that the action taken will be based on a direct response to the reports that they receive. Sometimes the MDAs take actions which are not specific, especially by making internal administrative changes; they should  ensure that when receive the report, they should look at it properly and take the necessary actions so that the ACC in turn can informed the public appropriately on the outcome of the PNB report.

The Deputy  Director Public Education and Outreach Department Patrick Sandy  dilating on the PNB communications plan said that the PNB operational plan is designed to serve to serve as road map that guides the communications on the PNB. He said the plan outlines content, messages, and the media which will target audiences in and outside the project locations. He said the objectives are to encourage citizens to report bribery via the PNB platform as well as to keep them informed on feedback on actions taken by MDAs to resolve the issue of petty corruption.  Reiterating on the communications plan, he said the plan os a combination of traditional, dynamic public education techniques and inclusive media outreach activities, such as forum, participatory theatres, road shows, radio magazine content, TV spots, soap opera vox pops and community outreach meetings. He concluded by illustrating activities outlined for this implementation phase.

During the intercessory session, a group discussion activity was carried out to Map the way forward. At the end of the deliberation several recommendations were presented by each MDA that should be included into the implementation phase.

The Integrity Management Committees which include the Sierra Leone Police, Ministry of Health and Sanitation, Ministry of Education Science and Technology, SALWACO, GUMA, EDSA and the Judiciary made meaningful contributions in the implementation phase and the new PNB strategy.