By Abubakarr Turay (ABT)

The Commissioner of the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC), Joseph Fitzgerald Kamara says he wants the new National Anti-Corruption Strategy (NACS) to be people driven. He made the remarks on Wednesday at the maiden meeting of the NACS Project Team. The current NACS ends in December this year and the Team has been charged with the responsibility to put together a new strategy that will run from 2014 to 2019. Mr. Kamara said the new NACS should take a bottom-top approach and one that could meet the dynamics of the country. He made reference to the Anti-Corruption Act 2008 which mandates the Commission to strive to prevent, suppress and eradicate corruption in the country, and therefore urged the Team to utilise all the available options and come up with a strategy that would achieve this goal. He said the current strategy has received accolades as well as criticisms and therefore called on the NACS Project Team to do a thorough re-examination of the said strategy.

The Director of the NACS Secretariat, Nabilahi Musa Kamara, said the current strategy largely used an institutional approach in the fight against corruption. He said the Commission would ensure this time to reach out to people across the country through various means including social networks. The NACS Director said there would be a nationwide consultation tour from September to December this year to incorporate the views of Sierra Leoneans into the new NACS.

Giving his remarks, a member of the Project Team, Dr. J.D. Rogers, said it was good that the Commission was seeking for external values for the next NACS. He said his team would ensure that they take diverse approaches that would result in a comprehensive and realistic strategy for implementation. The former Governor of the Bank of Sierra Leone said they would consider children in the new strategy in order to help build a new generation of corrupt-free minds. Dr. Rogers also noted the need for a change in the systems of government ministries, departments and agencies to prevent corrupt practices.

Other members of the NACS Project Team include a chartered accountant, Mohamed Abu Sesay, journalist and lecturer, David Tam-Baryo and public sector expert, Neneh Dabo.