By: David Yusuf Kabia, Public Relations Assistant, ACC
“The limited staff strength of the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) cannot successfully fight corruption without the involvement and ownership of Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) of the fight,” the Deputy Commissioner of the ACC, Augustine Foday Ngobie said, as he addressed members of the Integrity Management Committees (IMCs) of various MDAs on Thursday, 27th October, 2022 during a compliance validation meeting, at the St. George’s Cathedral Hall, 3 Gloucester Street, Freetown. The meeting was meant to share and discuss with IMCs of the various MDAs their levels of compliance as it relates to the 3rd and 4th Quarter 2021 monitoring of the implementation of the anti-corruption recommendations contained in the National Anti-Corruption Strategy (NACS 2019-2023) document, and ultimately validate the draft Monitoring Report.
Referencing his recent trip to Vienna, Austria, for a Conference of State Parties organised by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, Deputy Commissioner Ngobie disclosed to the meeting, the United Nations (UN) contemporary reliance on the significance of preventing corruption. He informed the audience that the existence of, and contributions to the fight against corruption by MDAs through these various IMCs is now known to the UN. He furthered that, he called on the UN during the Conference to help Sierra Leone successfully fight corruption through prevention. Cognisant of the importance of the experience-sharing meeting with members of the IMCs, ACC’s Deputy Commissioner challenged MDAs with low performance in terms of compliance ratings to anti-corruption measures to improve on those ratings at the next quarter monitoring.
Earlier, the Director of the National Anti-Corruption Strategy Secretariat at the ACC, Nabilahi Musa Kamara informed members of the IMCs that the implementation of the Strategy was invoked by Article 5 of the UNCAC and hence not the role of the ACC but Sierra Leone as a country in order to prevent corruption. “The ACC only coordinates the IMCs while the MDAs implement.” said Mr. Kamara. He pleaded with them to focus on the Presentations, which he said would show how the various IMCs have so far complied with anti-corruption measures.
Presenting on the compliance performance on the action points in the NACS document to the IMCs in the various MDAs, ACC’s Senior Monitoring and Compliance (SM&C) Officer Moses Al-Hassan Bangura, named MDAs with Full Compliance, Moderate Compliance and those that were Non Responsive to all the action points and recommendations proffered.
Mr. Bangura further that, for the period under review (3rd and 4th Quarters) 22 MDAs of the total 60, amounting to 42% were fully compliant to the action points proffered, scoring from 90% to 100%. Among the 241 Action Points, these 22 MDAs successfully implemented 231 scoring an enviable score of 97%. These MDAs are: Political Parties Registration Commission (PPRC), National Revenue Authority (NRA), Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC), National Telecommunications Commission (NATCOM), Parliament, Ministry of Energy, Office of the Vice President, Sierra Leone Road Transport Corporation (SLRTC), National Commission for Social Action (NACSA), Ministry of Trade and Industry, Ministry of Fisheries and Marine Resources, Sierra Leone Ports Authority (SLPA), Office of National Security (ONS), Ministry of Planning and Economic Development, Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security, Sierra Leone Maritime Administration (SLMA), National Public Procurement Authority (NPPA), Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Ministry of Mines and Mineral Resources, the Office of the Ombudsman, Ministry of Defense (MOD) and the Public Sector Reform Unit.
He also presented on 13 MDAs with Significant Compliance which makes 25% of the total MDAs monitored. These 13 MDAs were given a total of 135 Action Points but successfully implemented 101 scoring a 75% score. These 13 MDAs are: National Fire Force, Sierra Leone Correctional Services (SLCS), Ministry of Finance, National Commission for Privatisation, Pharmacy Board Sierra Leone, Sierra Leone Roads Authority (SLRA), Office of the President, National Civil Registration Authority, Ministry of Justice, National Social Security and Insurance Trust (NaSSIT), Ministry of Technical and Higher Education, National Youth Commission, Ministry of Basic and Senior Secondary Education (MBSSE). On those with Moderate Compliance, the Senior Monitoring and Compliance Officer said 14 MDAs performed moderately after successfully implementing 111 out of 171 Action Points making a 65% score.
Continuing his presentation, Mr. Bangura sadly noted that, among the 60 MDAs monitored eight (8) never responded to any of the Action Points or correspondences from the ACC. These MDAs he said are: Ministry of Health and Sanitation (MoHS), Ministry of Internal Affairs, Ministry of Water Resources, Public Service Commission, Ministry of Youth Affairs (MOYA), Ministry of Sports, Petroleum Directorate and the Sierra Leone Airport Authority.
Manager of the National Anti-Corruption Strategy Secretariat, Wilfred Bangura, presented on the challenges faced during the said monitoring process some of which are; IMCs meetings not consistent with the prescribed Terms of Reference,Relevant supporting documents to support activities undertaken were not made available such as, minutes of IMC meetings,the establishment and functionality of Audit Report Committees, and implementation of Audit Queries/recommendations by Management of MDAs.
The validation of the
Draft Monitoring Report climaxed the meeting, with the inclusion of the
contributions and recommendations of IMC members.
