By: Alex A. Bah, Public Relations Assistant, ACC
The Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) on Thursday 4th April 2025, welcomed a team from the Canadian Academic and Industrial Network (CAAIN) in a meeting held to discuss the technological challenges of the Commission and the need to set up a digital network for all justice sector institutions, including the ACC.
The Head of Delegation, Haroun Sheriff, explained that the visit was facilitated through consultations with the Government of Sierra Leone, particularly the Ministry of Communications, Innovation and Technology, as part of His Excellency the President’s agenda to boost innovation and technological advancement in the country. The purpose, he stated, is to engage in a technical deep-dive discussion on modernizing and digitilizing the justice sector, which includes the ACC.
"The reason we are conducting these individual visits is to unpack some of the core issues and develop a substantive roadmap for modernizing the justice sector," Mr. Sheriff emphasized.
Welcoming the delegation on behalf of the Commissioner and Deputy Commissioner, ACC’s Coordinator of Operations, Patrick Sandi, expressed the Commission’s appreciation for the engagement. He noted that incorporating innovative strategies into the fight against corruption is especially crucial in today’s digital era. Mr. Sandi gave a comprehensive overview of the Commission’s mandate, with particular references to the investigation and prosecution outfits of the Commission. He highlighted the Commission’s current documentation culture and spoke on the pressing need for advanced intelligence-gathering tools, exhibit storage facilities, and other digital solutions to address the limitations of manual systems.
Participating virtually, Edgar Kuhimsa, Technical Lead at CAAIN, reiterated their commitment to providing support that facilitates easier access to information and data for key institutions. He particularly emphasized the importance of interoperability between agencies such as the ACC and the Sierra Leone Police.
ACC’s Director of Public Education and External Outreach, Abubakarr Turay, underscored the need for an automated system that would enhance the flow of critical information across institutions, noting that such a system would make case referrals to the ACC more effective and efficient.
The meeting concluded with a mutual understanding of the need to enhance institutional effectiveness through technology and a shared commitment to collaborating on modernizing Sierra Leone’s justice sector.
