3. Page 3 Leader of Government Business, Hon. Mathew Sahr Nyuma and Commissioner Francis Ben Kaifala Esq. after his pronouncement for approval Commissioner Francis Ben Kaifala Esq. Th e 6th Parliament of the Republic of Sierra Leo- ne on Thursday 27th July 2023, inside its pres- tigious Well, hailed and lavished praises on Francis Ben Kaifala Esq. as he was seamlessly and overwhelmingly approved as Commissioner (Head) of the Anti - Corruption Commission (ACC), for a Second Term. This approval is pursuant to Sections 3 and 4 of the An- ti - Corruption Act of 2008 as Amended in 2019, and it follows his successful interview by the Parliamentary Committee on Appointments, on Wednesday 26th July 2023. It could be recalled that the mandate of the ACC Boss was renewed on the 19th June, 2023 by His Excellen- cy, President Brigadier (Rtd.) Dr. Julius Maada Bio, fol- lowing his remarkable and unprecedented successes in his first five - year tenure. Profiling the Commissioner in the presence of the Hon- orable Members, the fourth estate, civil society bodies and distinguished guests, Leader of Government Busi- ness, Hon. Mathew Sahr Nyuma, applauded the Com- missioner and acknowledged his exceptional perfor- mance in the war against corruption, noting that, it is his Leadership that saw the construction and move- ment into the ACC's Integrity House, which serves as a symbol to all that the fight against corruption in Sierra Leone is a serious one. He said that the Commissioner at the interview by the Appointments Committee, assured of his desire to re - revolutionize the war against graft; “Corruption is very serious, and we will treat any information we re- ceive with every confidence, so that people making reports to the ACC will believe that no one will go unpunished for acts of corruption”. Honorable Hindolo Ngevao in his Presentation disclosed to the House that during the first term approval of Francis Ben Kaifala as ACC Commissioner, he was among the many individuals that defended him because they knew not just the authenticity of his numerous academic credentials and pedigree, but the remarkable impact he made at the Sierra Leone Bar Association and the winning of landmark cases at the Supreme Court of Sierra Leone within his first dec- ade at the Bar. “It is only under the leadership of Francis Ben Kaifala that Sierra Leone has passed the MCC with a very high score. Under his leadership, he has had the highest number of convictions in the Judiciary”, the Honorable averred, whilst highlighting the numerous successes of the Commissioner. Hon. Gevao furthered that for certain, the Commissioner’s leadership knows no color or tribe and that has hugely con- tributed to his successes. Hon. Mohamed Bangura of the All Peoples Congress (APC) Party, said that the Commission under the leadership of Francis Ben Kaifala Esq. has been way bet- ter, as the ACC under his leadership fights corruption without looking at the Political Party or the influence somebody has in society. CONTD PG.4

4. Earlier, the Lead Facilitator Dr. Modupeh Taylor - Pearce said that his objective is to ensure that the ACC becomes far better than it is now as an Institution. He said discipline leadership should be at the centre of the operations of the Commission. The Executive Director of A Call To Business, Joe Abass Bangura, made a presentation on ‘Transformational Leadership’ and said “leaders CONTD FROM PG.1 don’t run commentaries on what is not working, but rather take action to make things work.” During the Retreat, the Directors and Regional Managers of the various Departments and Regional Offices of the Commission made presentations on new and innovative ways for the fight against corruption in the next five years. Chairman of the ACC Advisory Board, Prince F. Go- ba Cross section of ACC Directors, Deputy Directors and Regional Managers at the Retreat Environmental and Social issues like land acquisition, reclamation, voluntary or involuntary resettlement, transparent and fair payment of compensations when due, etc, have always had their reverberating negative effects on projects and programs, when not properly managed. How to address issues like labour risk and working conditions, occupational health and safety for road construction and rehabilitation, etc. were all part of the training package including, detailed stakeholders focused group discussions, apt case studies analysis and group works The Training in progress with ACC Deputy Commissioner and ACC project staff present CONTD FROM PG.2 He continued that Sierra Leone now prides itself with its unprecedented progress in the fight against corruption. He mentioned the Millennium Challenge Corporation Scorecard, which the country was recording a 49% score in 2017, but with Commissioner Kaifala, the country excellently passed back - to - back for five consecutive years and now has a score of 79%. He thanked the Commissioner and urged him to continue his good work and service to Country and Conscience. Several other illustrious Members of Parliament expressed beautiful sentiments about the Commissioner, adding that he has indeed as promised, laundered the Country’s image, that was in 2013 ranked as the most Corrupt Country in the world. He was therefore charged to do more and also assured of the Parliament’s unwavering support. The Right Honorable Segepoh Solomon Thomas, Deputy Speaker of the House of Parliament, presided over the proceedings in the well of Parliament. Commissioner Francis Ben Kaifala Esq. seated with other appointees awaiting approval CONTD FROM PG.3

2. Page 2 Th e Deputy Commissioner of the Anti - Corruption Commission Sierra Leone (ACC - SL), Augustine Foday Ngobie has joined over one hundred Focal Persons and Project Staff from the ACC - SL, the National Commission for Social Action (NaCSA), the National Youth Commission and the Ministry of Labour for a three - day training workshop at the Gallinesse Paradise Resort in Bo, Southern Sierra Leone. Staff from other partner institutions like the Local Councils, Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), service providers including banks and telecommunication companies, etc. were also part of the training. The training was on the rollout of the Environmental and Social Framework (ESF) in the World Bank - supported projects like the Productive Social Safety Net and Youth Empowerment (PSSNYE) Project. The workshop, which was co - designed and organized by NaCSA and the World Bank Country Management Unit’s (CMU) Environmental and Social Division and facilitated by experts from the World Bank CMU’s Environmental and Social Division, was aimed at deepening the understanding of project staff and focal persons on the ESF value proposition in the context of the PSSYNE and how to practically apply them during project implementation . The training will enable project staff, implementing partners, service providers, and municipal and local councils to align with the PSSNYE project operations on ESF Standards. The training program will also provide several benefits including reducing the project’s environmental and social risk and improving project outcomes, thus delivering the twin goals of reducing extreme poverty and promoting shared prosperity through social risk management. The Deputy Commissioner of ACC, who has been at the forefront of the implementation of the Grievance Redress Mechanism (GRM) component of the Social Safety Net (SSN) at the ACC, started off by acknowledging the support of the World Bank and other partners to the development of Sierra Leone. Mr. Ngo- bie stated that the training package will undoubtedly im- prove the skills and capacity of project staff and other stake- holders to enable them adequately and amicably address the ever - growing and sometimes conflict - triggering ESF issues in all projects. The ACC Deputy Commissioner said that with the involvement of all relevant stakeholders in implementing projects, the risk of corruption and other negating factors will be eliminated or reduced greatly. He encouraged all participants to meaningfully contribute to the learning pro- cess, share experiences and take the lessons as a relevant toolkit to their operations and duties going forward. Earlier, the Commissioner of the National Youth Commission Sierra Leone, Ngolo Thomas Katta, was full of admiration for the training objectives and the caliber of stakeholders present. He stated that young people are among the most affected when projects and programs are undermined by environmental, corruption, labour and other issues. He called on all present to take the opportunity presented by the World Bank and NaCSA seriously for the overall development of Sierra Leone and the aspirations of the youth. . ACC’s Deputy Commissioner, Augustine Foday - Ngobie (right) at the training program CONTD PG.4

1. CONTD PG.4 Th e Commissioner of the Anti - Corruption Commission (ACC) Francis Ben Kaifala Esq. has called on the Directors, Deputy Directors and Regional Managers of the Commission to focus on producing results in order to improve Sierra Leone’s ranking in the Transparency International (TI) Corruption Perception Index (CPI) and other similar indexes. The Commissioner was speak- ing on Saturday, July 22, 2023, at the closing of a three - day Management Re- treat held at The Place Re- sort, Tokeh, in the Western Rural District. The theme of the Retreat was ‘Accelerating the Impact of the ACC on Development in Sierra Leone’. The ACC Commissioner said he would ensure that Deputy Commissioner of ACC, Augus- tine Foday Ngobie at the Retreat ACC Commissioner, Francis Ben Kaifala Esq. making Statement at the Retreat all Departments and Regional Offices get more autonomy for them to be able to introduce new ideas and instill discipline in the work and operations of the Commission. “Do not al- ways wait to be told what to do! You should also focus on producing results and solutions rather than running commentaries on challenges. Make yourselves relevant, be dutiful and never shy away from your responsibility,” the ACC Commissioner furthered. The ACC Commissioner re - echoed his statement made at the opening ceremony of the Retreat when he said “we are currently sitting at 110 in the Transparency International Index, so my aim for the next five years is for us to take the country to d ouble digits in the Index.” The Deputy Commissioner of the Commission Augustine Foday Ngobie, in his closing remarks said the Commission was looking forward to an effective and professional witness management system so that members of the public would always feel encouraged to come forward to make reports to the Commission. Mr. Ngobie also said that the Commission should look at avenues to incorporate a grievance redress mechanism component in all public projects to ensure that they benefit the people of Sierra Leone. The Chairman of the ACC Advisory Board, Prince F. Goba encouraged the Commission to be able to coordinate all the strategies presented during the Retreat into an Action Plan for effective implementation. August 2023 Issue 1 Volume 1 INTEGRITY HOUSE FREETOWN, SIERRA LEONE EDITORIAL TEAM EDITOR - IN - CHIEF Abubakarr Turay EDITORS Sylvanus Blake Alex A. Bah LAYOUT & GRAPHICS Philippa M Davies EDITORIAL ADVISERS Augustine Foday Ngobie Patrick Sandi