By: Abdulai Saccoh, Senior Public Education Officer, ACC
The Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) Southern Region Office has on Wednesday, 20th August 2025, mainstreamed anti-corruption measures to staff of the Ministry of Agriculture at its Conference Hall, Chinese Farm, Bo District. The engagement formed part of the Commission’s multi-dimensional strategies aimed at addressing systemic weaknesses in public sector institutions and enhancing effective service delivery.
Addressing the staff, ACC’s Senior Public Education Officer, Abdulai Saccoh, described the meeting as a deliberate effort by the Commission to work with Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs) to identify and close governance gaps that undermine service delivery.
Mr. Saccoh underscored the crucial role of the Ministry in achieving the Government’s “Feed Salone” initiative and highlighted that its success largely depends on transparency and accountability in the implementation of its six strategic pillars: Mechanization and Irrigation; Seeds and Inputs System; Aggregation, Processing and Marketing; Access to Finance; Agricultural Technology (AgTech) and Climate-Smart Agriculture (CSA); and Empowering Women and Youth.
He warned that corruption within these value chains will derail the country’s food self-sufficiency agenda and called on staff to uphold integrity at all times. Mr. Saccoh also highlighted several corruption-related offences in Part IV of the Anti-Corruption Act 2008 (as amended in 2019), stressing that anyone found guilty is liable to a fine of not less than Fifty Thousand Leones (Le 50,000) or a minimum imprisonment term of five years, or both.
In his statement, ACC’s Public Education Officer, David Garrick, emphasized that corruption thrives when public officials abdicate their responsibilities and allow state resources to be mismanaged. He noted that lack of transparency and accountability remains one of the major reasons public sector institutions underperform.
Mr. Garrick urged staff to make a conscious effort to speak up and stand against corruption, noting that effective service delivery can only be achieved when graft is tackled. He also shared the various reporting channels available to the public and assured participants of full whistleblower and informant protection under the Anti-Corruption Act 2008 (as amended in 2019).
Earlier, Monitoring and Evaluation Officer of the Ministry’s Bo Office, Momoh Kamara, expressed gratitude to the ACC for the engagement, describing it as an opportunity for the Ministry to reassess its systems and improve performance. He assured the Commission of the Ministry’s fullest cooperation and commitment to working within the ambit of the law.
