Bernard Abass Kargbo – Public Education Officer, ACC
The Deputy Commissioner of the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC), Augustine Foday Ngobie, took part in a high-level panel to discuss the topic “Governing Natural Resources Outflows for Enhanced Economic Resilience in Fragile and Transnational Countries” held at The Place Resort, Tokeh.
The panel discussion climaxed a 5-day training and policy dialogue convened under the auspices of the African Development Bank’s initiative to combat Illicit Financial Flows and bolster member countries’ economic resilience through the effective and efficient use of their natural resources.
It featured influential figures from both government and civil society. Among them were the Minister of Finance Hon. Sheku Ahmed Fantamadi Bangura, the Minister of Planning and Economic Development Hon. Kenyeh Barlay, Chairman of the Committee on Mines in Parliament Hon. Saa Emerson Lamina, civil society activists, and leading voices from the private sector.
In his statement, Mr. Ngobie highlighted the ACC’s strategic method of catalysing political will, which is empowering citizens and leveraging grassroots advocacy to hold elected officials accountable. “We believe in turning up the volume of public scrutiny,” Mr. Ngobie said.
“By involving the media, civil society organisations, and development partners, we push politicians through the people who put them in office” he maintained.
This participatory approach, he noted, ensures that corruption and illicit financial flows are not just tackled institutionally but confronted through collective civic momentum.
As it stands as a regional blueprint for economic reform, the dialogue aims to unite fragile and transnational countries around policy frameworks that prevent the haemorrhage of national wealth through corruption and mismanagement of natural resources.
The ACC’s model, driven by citizen empowerment and cross-sector partnerships, is viewed as a potential blueprint for other countries grappling with similar challenges.
The event concluded with calls for sustained collaboration between governments, financial institutions, and civil society organisations to transform transparency from principle to practice.
