In his statement, Deputy Commissioner ACC, Shollay Davies said, ethics and integrity in the workplace are key priorities for an effective service delivery. He further said, the training workshop is geared towards capacitating staff of the Authority in the bid to embed ethical issues in the work environment.
Speaking on the rationale of the training Director, Systems and Processes Review Department Rashid Turay, said, the focus is to improve service delivery in the work place. He said ethics and integrity are key components of the growth and development of the NRA. NRA is a revenue generating entity, as such, it is very important to instill ethics and integrity into the staff of the institution Mr. Turay added. He also stated that in 2017, the Commission conducted an overt exercise at the queen Elizabeth II Quay and the Customs and Excise Department, following which, recommendations were proffered for effective service delivery.
The Commissioner General, National Revenue Authority, Samuel Jibao thanked the Commission for facilitating the workshop for his staff on ethics and integrity. He said since he took over as Head, he has injected strong will of integrity in the work place. He furthered that the training is part of the reform measures to transform the Authority into an efficient service delivery entity. Ethics and integrity should be at the fore in the work place, he averred.
Delivering a presentation on integrity issues at the Customs and Excise, Deputy Director Systems and Processes Review ACC, Patrick George said Customs is an essential instrument for the effective management of an economy and that it performs simultaneously the vital roles of combating smuggling and facilitating the flow of legitimate trade. ‘Corruption can destroy the efficient functioning of any society and diminish the ability of Customs to accomplish its mission’, he added. Without integrity no effective revenue collection and no public trust in customs agencies. The task is not simple but it remains essential for NRA to adopt anti-corruption measures in order to maintain public trust.
Deputy Director, Public Education and Outreach ACC, Alhassan Kargbo dilated on the offences as contained in the AC Act 2008. He explained key definitions such as, who is a public officer and what is a public body. He spoke on international anti-corruption instruments and how they have been domesticated in the laws of Sierra Leone.
Questions, comments and recommendations formed part of the capacity building session.
