4. Contd from Pg 1 This review, he continued, will mark a clear role for the ACC and other implementing partners. Senior Economist, Social Protection and Jobs, World Bank, Samik Adhikari, said the team’s visit to i mplementing partners is to discuss issues that were noted in the implementation of the PSSNYE an d how these issues can be avoided. He stated that the last review meeting held in October 2023, just when the implementat ion of the PSSNYE commenced, was a fruitful one as lessons learnt in the roll - out of the SSN project were instrumental in mapping out the roll - out of the new PSSNYE. He added that the payment to the PSSNYE beneficiaries, which has be en digitalized, is in line with the country’s National Development Plan and policies. The World Bank’s Social Protection Specialist, Dr. Abu Kargbo, commended the ACC for being very instrumental to the successful implementation of the Bank’s projects, especially the just - concluded $55 million SSN project that provided unconditional cash transfer to poor and vulnerable households. He added that before the presence of the ACC, there were many loopholes in the implementation of similar projects. “The presence of the ACC has made a huge impact in ensuring transparency,” Dr. Kargbo underscored. Page 4 Abuse of Position, Gift, Offering, Soliciting and Accepting an Advantage, Misappropriation of Public and or Donor Funds or Property. He reminded the participants of the consequences that await anyone convicted of the above, including a fine not less than Fifty Million (Old) Leones or imprisonment for a term not less than five years or suffer both such fine and imprisonment. Explaining the rationale of the engagement to staff and councilors of BDC, ACC’s Public Education Officer, Mo- hamed .A. Kabba, admonished them that the meeting was intended to capacitate duty bearers with the required knowledge that will guide them in their day to day operations. Mr Kabba reminded his audience of the Commission’s determination to pursue injustice wherever it rares its ugly head. The Public Education Officer urged the BDC administration to intensify their monitoring and supervision of MDAs devolved to them. By: Amie Massaquoi, Information Officer, ACC ACC’s Regional Manager, Momodu Sittar, presenting IEC materials to BDC Chief Administrator, Abdul Koroma Contd from Pg 3

2. Page 2 T he Anti - Corruption Commission (ACC), with support from the Open Society Initiative for West Africa (OSIWA), has engaged Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) of government in Kambia, Port Loko and Kamakwie respectively to popularize the contents of three Systems and Processes Review Reports on the Ministry of Water Resources, National Telecommunication s Authority (NaTCA) and the Sierra Leone National Fire Force. The three engagements were held on the 19th, 20th and 21st March, 2024, at the Kambia District Office, the Ministry of Basic and Senior Secondary School Education Hall in Port Loko and the Karene District Council Hall in Kamakwie respectively. Speaking at the engagements, Deputy Director of Public Education and External Outreach Department of the ACC, Abubakarr Turay, said that the Commission decided to target public officers from all MDAs for the engagements because most of the issues found in the reports cut across almost all MDAs in terms of fleet and fuel management, staffing, procurement, audit, among others. He encouraged MDAs to be more committed to the implementation of the recommendations proffered by the Commission in order to avoid the penalties that come with defaulting. Mr . Turay reiterated that prevention is one of the most effective tools employed by the Commission to prevent and mitigate corruption and corrupt practices in public offices. “The Commission uses the carrot and stick approach to curb corruption, where the Prevention Department conducts systems and processes reviews of public offices to prevent corruption before it actually happens,” he said. This, he noted, also involves developing polices for the management of staff and the institution’s resources in a bid to improve service delivery, prevent wastages and corruption opportunities. “This will al- so promote the values of transparency, accountability and integrity in the work place,” he said. Mr . Turay ended his presentations by calling on his audience to ensure that they declare their assets by the deadline date of 31st of March. Speaking on the roles and functions of the Prevention Department, Senior Communications Officer, Margaret Jones, gave a detailed overview of how the Department operates, ranging from the Systems Review Unit, Policy and Ethics Unit and the Compliance Unit found within the Department. She reiterated that MDAs should ensure that recommendations proffered by the Commission are adhered to so that corruption will not flourish in our society. Earlier, while speaking on the purpose of the meeting, Communications Officer, Martina George, emphasized the need for the popularization of the Systems Review Reports which she said was to ensure that MDAs are more proactive in implementing recommendations proffered by the ACC for the eradication of corruption in public offices. “We can only have effective service delivery when we institute these anti - corruption measures in MDAs,” she add- ed. During the plenary session at the event held in Kamakwie, the Chairman of the Karene District Council, Abdul Kandeh Turay, expressed his appreciation to the Commission for conducting systems and processes reviews in MDAs. I am personally inviting the ACC to conduct a systems and processes review of my Council as a means of promoting transparency in my district and to set the pace for future generations.” Deputy Director of Public Education and Outreach, Abubakarr Turay, speaking at the engagement in Ka- rene During the engagements in Kambia (L) and Port Loko (R)

3. Page 3 “ U pholding integrity is fundamental not only to attain sustainable development but also to help address the extant systems weaknesses prevalent in public sector institutions.” This statement was made by the Chief Administrator, Bo District Council (BDC), Abdul Koroma, in a customized meeting organized by the Anti - Corruption Commission (ACC) Southern Region Office in order to capacitate councillors and core staff of the council with ethical values and corruption safeguard tools. The engagement took place on Thursday 14 th March 2024, at the council’s conference hall in Bo. Mr. Koroma appreciated the Commission’s prevention drive to promote best practices in the operations of public sector institutions. He assured the ACC of their commitment to building on the gains already achieved and promised to institute anti - corruption safeguards. Speaking to staff and councilors of BDC, AC- C’s Regional Manager, South, Momodu Sittar, spoke on the significance of the engagement and described it as a process meant to institute reforms geared towards preventing corruption. As the architect of development at the local level, he said, it is imperative on council to promote practices and policies that enhance transparency and accountability in the discharge of their duties. The Manager reminded the councillors and staff of the council that they are required by ACC’s Regional Manager, Momodu Sittar sharing integrity and accountability messages law to declare their income, assets and liabilities by the deadline date of 31 st March. Mr. Sittar recognized that until the public show disapproval for corruption the corrupt will flourish at the expense of the underprivileged majority. In his statement, ACC’s Senior Public Education Officer, Abdulai Saccoh, admonished his audience that the aspiration of the people could not be realized if the activities of councils are inundated with corruption. He said that public perception about some councils is negative, adding that they must therefore ensure that they uphold public trust by mainstreaming integrity, transparency and accountability in their activities. Mr . Saccoh highlighted a number of complaints often received from members of the public including; receiving unjustified sitting fees, diversion of public funds and property for personal use, breach of legal regulatory framework, over invoicing, short payment at training workshops, misuse of official motor bikes and vehicles, and fraudulent house rate billing. “Issues of accountability and integrity should not be compromised because they have the tendency to undermine the effective provision of services to the citizens,” Saccoh furthered. The ACC’s Resident Prosecutor, Nigel Davies Esq, in his statement, said that laws are meant to guide society in order to ensure peaceful coexistence. He said as duty bearer it will be an unpardonable act for them to engage in any acts to circumvent laws. Mr. Davies dilated on a number of offences contained in Part IV of the Anti - Corruption Act 2008 (as amended in 2019) such as; Abuse of Office, Councilors and staff of BDC listening attentively to anti - corruption messages Contd on Pg 4

1. 1st — 5th April 2024 Issue 2 Volume 11 INTEGRITY HOUSE, TOWER HILL 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 Economist, Social Protection and Jobs. The courtesy visit by the delegation comes ahead of the PSSNYE implementation review conference that will be organized by the World Bank from the 26 th March to 4 th April 2024. The team has also visited other implementing partners of the PSSNYE, including the National Commission for Social Action (NaCSA), Ministry of Labour, Ministry of Youth, and the Freetown City Council. The PSSNYE is a poverty alleviation scheme by the World Bank through the Government of Sierra Leone. The Deputy Commissioner of the ACC, Augustine Foday Ngobie, while welcoming the delegation to Integrity House, stated that the ACC and the World Bank have been in partnership for over ten years. “This has allowed the ACC to do real - time monitoring of Social Safety Net (SSN) and other World Bank projects, address grievances, and help support the achievement of the project objectives. He commended the Bank for their confidence in the ACC and their T he leadership of the Anti - Corruption Commission (ACC) has on the 25 th March, 2024, received a two - man del- egation from the World Bank Country Mission Team working on the Productive Social Safe- ty Net and Youth Employment (PSSNYE) project, at the Commission’s Integrity House, Tower Hill, Freetown. The two - man delegation from the World Bank consists of Dr. Abu Karg- bo, Senior Social Protection Specialist and Samik Adhikari, Senior Deputy Commissioner of the ACC, Augustine Foday Ngobie Contd on pg 4 By: Amie Massaquoi, Information Officer, ACC Senior Economist, Social Protection and Jobs, World Bank, Samik Adhikari (L), the Bank’s Social Protection Specialist, Dr. Abu Kargbo (C) and Deputy Commissioner of the ACC, Augustine Foday Ngobie support in rolling out the Grievance Redress Mechanism (GRM) component of all the projects. “ACC as an independent institution has achieved great results in ensuring there is transparency and accountability in all World Bank projects and programs that it has participated in, and I assure you all, on behalf of the Commissioner, Francis Ben Kaifala Esq, that we are set and ready to continue in that trajectory,” he said. Assuring the full and undiluted support of the ACC to the new PSSNYE the Deputy Commissioner added that the Commission is happy to collaborate with the Bank and other stakeholders, hence the need to review the existing Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the ACC and NaCSA, in order to incorporate the other players in the PSSNYE. Group photo: ACC and the World Bank visiting Team