Reaching out to diverse pillars of integrity is a prominent strategy employed by the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) to mainstream anti-corruption measures that often prompt system reforms within Government Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs). It is in this regard that the ACC’s Southern Region office has sensitized staff of Small and Medium Enterprises Development Agency (SMEDA) on anti-corruption safeguards.

The meeting took place at the SMEDA office in Bo on Thursday 20^th March, 2025.

Speaking at the meeting, ACC’s Regional Manager, South, Momodu Sittar, said that a meeting of such nature is crucial to SMEDA’s operations-because it does not only heighten staff’s knowledge on some unethical practices, but also require them to take prompt and appropriate actions. Mr. Sittar furthered that, despite the enormous resources Government and its development partners have invested to improve the economic livelihood of the citizens, corruption is one of the barriers to the actualization of many project objectives. 

Mr Sittar warned duty bearers who choose the path of enriching themselves at the detriment of the delivery of basic social amenities for the greater good. He admonished SMEDA staff to always do the correct thing because a breach of any regulation attracts punishment. He concluded that the amendmentto the Anti-Corruption Act 2008 in 2019, has made participation in corruption a high risk and a low return venture. 

In his statement, ACC’s Senior Public Education Officer, Abdulai Saccoh, informed his audience that the engagement was part of the Commission's intervention to address systems weaknesses in MDAs. He said that shady dealings and blatant disregard for processes and procedures allow corruption to thrive. He acknowledged the challenges public offices face but noted that it is unacceptable to compromise ethical values for self-indulgence.

Mr. Saccoh shed light on some of the actions that can undermine the effective management and utilization of donor or public resources such as abuse of discretionary power, diversion of donor property for personal use, collusion with some business people to deprive the State of revenue, short payment of beneficiaries at trainings and workshops, over invoicing, and misuse of vehicles and motorbikes. He called on SMEDA staff to make conscious efforts to mainstream anti-corruption measures because social services will only improve when corruption is tackled.

Public Education Officer, Mohamed A. Kabba, underscored the significance of the engagement, noting that it provides a platform for SMEDA staff to reflect on certain bad practices that have the tendency to undermine the delivery of social services to vulnerable groups. He said that there is no better time than now to reinvigorate their energy to restore public trust and confidence in public life. He informed them of the various reporting platforms and the protection provided for informants and whistleblowers under the Anti-Corruption Act 2008 as amended in 2019.