The 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 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 also 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 said.

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.