The Deputy Commissioner of the Anti-Corruption Comission (ACC), Augustine Foday Ngobie, on Wednesday 6th November, 2024, played host to Daivd Robinson, Senior Counsel of the Legal Department of the International Monetray Fund (IMF).
The visit, according to Mr. Robinson is a precursor to the meeting in May 2025 and aims to assess the state of governance and corruption vulnerabilities within Government institutions, identify areas for improvement, and provide tailored recommendations to enhance governance framework.
He furthered that in February 2025, Questionnaires will be sent to the Commission to fill which will require the ACC to indicate its needs and its challenges, which will be discussed with Government for a much more effective ACC. The IMF personnel stressed that the Commission will be at liberty to provide as much information as needed, though relevant ones, in the event the Questionnaires are not exhaustive. He commended the Commission for its great strides, noting that these achievements are not without challenges.
Relevant to note is that this is a Governance Diagnostic Scoping Mission from the IMF as part of the Government of Sierra Leone’s assessment for a new Extended Credit Facility (ECF) program.
On behalf of the Commissioner, Francis Ben Kaifala Esq., the Deputy Commissioner heartily welcomed Mr. Robinson and assured him of the Commission’s undoubted cooperation and support at all times to any organization, especially the IMF. Mr. Ngobie highlighted the support received by the Commission from the Government of Sierra Leone, specific to the construction and furnishing of the Integrity House, which is the Commission’s Headquarters Office. He lauded the Presidential Will enjoyed by the Commission and its operational independence, which account for the unprecedented successes as recorded by National and International Corruption Perception Indexes and Survey Reports.
Mr. Ngobie furthered that in as much as the Commission would accommodate and welcome capacity building programs and support, the most felt need is its fleet, as currently the Commission has an aging fleet which one could not write home about.
He underscored that in spite of the challenge of vehicles, significant successes are recorded. Imagine if it were a situation where very good vehicles were available; it would be superb. He, however, assured IMF that the ACC was very ready to provide any support needed in the bid to advance its works and effectively control corruption and reduce its occurrences to the barest minimum.
Meaningful contributions were made by the Directors of Prevention, Operations and Public Education and Outreach, of the ACC, Rashid B. Turay, Emmanuel K. Amara Esq., and Patrick Sandi, respectively.
There were exchanges of pleasantries, which marked the end of the dialogue.
