Beneficiaries of the World Bank-supported Social Safety Net (SSN) scheme in the Western Area Rural District of Freetown have commended the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) for its involvement in the program which has helped ensured transparency and integrity in the program.
They made this commendation on Monday 19th June, 2023during a sensitization meeting in Tombo, one of the beneficiary communities in the Western Area Rural.
Speaking at the meeting held at the Tombo Community Center, a beneficiary, Marie Mangay, testified on how beneficial the money provided has been for her and her household. She said that many of them could now boast of engaging in various businesses and trade which have yielded huge profit. She said all this was achieved because of the presence of the Commission who had been able to instill transparency in the payment process.
Another beneficiary, James Balley, said it was welcoming that the ACC was increasing awareness on the Grievance Redress Mechanism (GRM) of the scheme which the ACC is handling. He said this would help enhance their knowledge of the SSN project.
Addressing the beneficiaries, Senior Communications Officer, Alhaji .A.K. Bangura, appreciated participants for expressing a positive thought about the scheme and the Commission’s involvement. He said the scheme was introduced mainly to improve the lives of residents in deprived communities by providing direct and unconditional cash transfer to the poorest and most vulnerable households.
“The ACC is responsible for the GRM component of the scheme in order to discourage bribery, extortion and any other acts of corruption,” Mr. Bangura averred. He said the Commission thrives to ensure that the scheme was implemented in a transparent and fair manner; “which is why the Commission monitors all cash transfer payments.” The ACC therefore, will not hesitate to bring to book any individual or groups engaged in acts of corruption,” he warned.
Public Education Officer, Yangie D. Sesay, encouraged the beneficiaries to manage and use the funds judiciously for the betterment of their households, and to also transform and improve their lives. She said every Sierra Leonean had a civic responsibility to report all suspected acts of corruption to the Commission. She shared with beneficiaries of the project the various reporting channels, and encouraged them not to hesitate to make report(s) on any acts of corruption to the Commission.
The meeting was climaxed with a question and answer session and the distribution of IEC materials to participants.
