The Technical Team comprises Mohamed Abu Sesay- Financial Expert and Chairman, William Kamanda-Monitoring and Evaluation Expert, Augustine Sengbeh-Marrah-Lawyer, Edward Massaquoi-CARITAS, Valnora Edwin-Good Governance Campaigner, Dr. Fatu Taqi-50/50 Group, and Joe Pemagbi-OSIWA.
The meeting with the President climaxed nationwide consultative meetings the Team has held in the past three months.
Whilst responding to questions from the Team, President Bio started off by commending the staff and leadership of the ACC for a remarkable job done in the anti-graft campaign.
He went further to talk on the importance of ‘political will’,which he described as series of actions from the presidency to the Ministries, Departments and Agencies geared towards attaining a particular goal;adding that this is what his leadership has demonstrated in the fight against corruption. He said he had made his ministers clearly understand his zero tolerance approach to corruption.
The President also spoke on the importance of using technology and building systems of institutions in order to prevent corruption; something he said is important to reduce human contacts, which provide the room for acts of corruption to take place.
On the issue of the need to curtail unlawful orders from above, the President said that public officers should know that they are bound to only execute lawful orders, which should always be in writing.
President Bio also addressed the problems of decentralisation, which has been a thorny issue for local government councils across the country. The President said decentralisation will be given the utmost importance under his administration as ithelps in providing the needed services to citizens across the country.
Addressing the question of the need for public workers to get decent wages, the President said his Government will continue to work assiduously to develop the country’s economy.
Earlier, the Director of the NACS Secretariat at ACC, Nabilahi-Musa Kamara, whilst presenting members of the Expert Team to the President said, the Commission had implemented three generation of Strategies, which were developed consistent with the United Nations Convention against Corruption (UNCAC) and the Anti-Corruption Acts of 2000 and 2008. He said the country recognised the efforts of the Government to fight corruption and added that the next Strategy will provide the roadmap for a holistic anti-corruption campaign.
