4. A CC INTENSIFIES MONIT ORING OF WORLD BANK PROJECT T h e G r i e v a n c e R e d r e s s M e c h a n i s m ( G R M ) U n i t of the Anti- C o r r u p t i o n C o m m i s s i o n ( A C C ) h a s held a retreat to review the G R M M a n u a l f o r t h e i m p l e m e n t a t i on of the first phase of the “Productive Social S a f e t y N e t a n d Y o u t h E m p o w e r m e n t (PSSNYE) Project. T h e r e t r e a t t o o k p l a c e a t t h e YA D Conference Hall, Maxwell Khobe Street, in Kenema. The PSSNYE Project is a US$ 40.0 Million W orld Bank approved project which will give social protection support to the Government of Sierra Leone (GoSL) for 5 years, 2022 to 2027. It will provide much needed technical and financial support to the GoSL to advance the agenda of social protection and job creation. The project development objective is “to improve access to social safety nets and income generating opportunities for targeted beneficiaries”. Addressing the retreat, ACC Commissioner Francis Ben Kaifala said that the review was timely and he acknowledged the good work of the ACC GRM Unit. He said the unit has been doing regular updates, robust monitoring of project activities, and ef fective handling of c o m p l a i n t s f r o m b e n e f i c i a r i e s a n d stakeholders etc. As a corruption prevention tool, Commissioner Kaifala encouraged the team to continue the good work, adding that project beneficiaries stand to benefit in projects that are corrupt free. The ACC boss motivated staf f to always lo ok fo r op ti on s to ha nd le wo rk -r el at ed challenges. The ACC Deputy Commissioner , Augustine Foday Ngobie, who supervises the GRM Unit in the Commission, re-echoed the successes of GRM previous and present projects through ef fective monitoring and complaints handling from beneficiaries and stakeholders. He emphasized that through the GRM such projects have had increased transparency in delivery and implementation and guaranteed more confidence for donors to continue supporting the country with various social protection interventions. T h e P S S N Y E p r o j e c t h a s f i v e m a j o r components which include; Safety Nets (SSN) Cash T ransfers and Provision of Economic Inclusion Support, Labor Intensive Public W orks (LIPWs) and Life Skills Support for Y outh, Employment and Entrepreneurship Support for Y outh, Systems Development, I n s t i t u t i o n a l S t r e n g t h e n i n g a n d P r o j e c t M a n a g e m e n t S u p p o r t , a n d C o n t i n g e n t Emergency Response. The National Commission for Social Action (NaCSA), the Ministry of Y outh Af fairs (MoY A), a n d t h e N a t i o n a l Y o u t h C o m m i s s i o n ( N a Y C O M ) w i l l l e a d t h e d i r e c t p r o j e c t implementation while the ACC will lead the Grievance Redress Mechanism (GRM) and c o r r u p t i o n p r e v e n t i o n c o m p o n e n t o f t h e project. The GRM is a channel for beneficiaries and other stakeholders to raise grievances and make complaints or report on corruption during the implementation of projects. It has been an ef fective tool in institutionalizing tr an sp ar en cy , ac co un ta bi li ty , id en ti fi ca ti on , assessment, and resolution of complaints and prevention in target projects, and in particular seeks to minimize corruption risks. ACC Commissioner and Deputy Commissioner at the Retreat 4 A CC CALLS ON RELIGIOUS LEADERS IN BO T O PREA CH A GAINST CORRUPTION ACC Regional Manager , Momodu Sittar having delibrations with members of the Inter-Religious Council Staff of ACC and members of the Inter- religious Council after the engagement T h e A n t i - C o r r u p t i o n C o m m i s s i o n ( A C C ) Southern Region of fice has called on religious leaders in Bo District to support the C o m m i s s i o n i n p r e a c h i n g a n t i - c o r r u p t i o n messages to their congregations. About forty leaders from both the Christian and Muslim faiths availed themselves at the ACC’ s Bo Regional Conference Hall, 10 Bo-Pujehun th Drive, Kebbie T own, Bo District, on 14 July , 2022 on the invitation of the Commission. D e l i b e r a t i n g o n t h e e s s e n c e o f t h e e n g a g e m e n t , A C C ’ s S o u t h e r n R e g i o n M a n a g e r , M o m o d u S i t t a r , s a i d r e l i g i o u s leaders do not only command large following, they also command huge respect from their f o l l o w e r s , w h o t e n d t o o b e y t h e i r preachings. He said that the fight against corruption cannot be fought in isolation, hence the need for partnership and support from spiritual leaders as well. “Y ou should inculcate in your believers the values of integrity for them to change their bad ways and practices to positive ones,” he said. S p e a k i n g o n t h e p u r p o s e o f t h e engagement, ACC’ s Public Education Of ficer , Y angie D. Sesay said corruption has the tendency of destroying our relationship with God, while underscoring the relevance of such partnership with religious leaders with the hope that corruption messages would be preached to people from both faiths. T h e C h r i s t i a n r e l i g i o u s l e a d e r s p r e s e n t unan imou sly acce pted that corr upti on is considered a sinful act as referenced in Proverbs 13:1 1: “W ealth gotten from vanity will d i m i n i s h : b u t h e t h a t g a t h e r e d b y labour shall increase.” The V ice Chairman of Mi ni st er s Pr ay er Ne tw or k (M PN ) So ut h, B i s h o p J o s e p h . T . S w a r r a y , s a i d t h a t corruption is more of a spiritual issue since it is an issue of integrity . He said such assignment should be part of their spiritual responsibility since citizens now see corruption as an accepted norm in Sierra Leone, noting that the Holy Bible attributes covetousness and greed as the lead causes of corruption, emphasizing the reason why God commanded man: “Thou shall not steal.” Highlighting the significance of spiritual l e a d e r s i n t h e f i g h t a g a i n s t c o r r u p t i o n , Professor Ishmail Sesay , Mufti of United Council of Imams in Bo cited the Holy Quran 7- Surah Al-A ’raf (The Heights) 85-86 where Allah commanded Muslims: “ Oh my people, worship Allah; you have no deity other than Him. There has come to you clear evidence from your Lord. So fulfill the measure and weight and do not deprive people of their due and cause not corruption upon the earth after its reformation. That is better for you, if you should be believers.” “ C o n s e q u e n t l y, a n y o n e w h o f a i l s t o a d h e r e t o t h i s c o m m a n d , h i s / h e r judgment is hell, where there is eternal unimaginable suf fering,” he concluded. Climaxing the engagement, the religious leaders appreciated the Commission for such fruitful engagement, and expressed their resolve to spread a unified moral message to their congregations during their daily and weekly worship. 9

5. GAMBIAN DELEGA TION CONDUCTS STUD Y T OUR OF A CC GRIEV ANCE REDRESS MECHANISM ACC Deputy Commissioner Augustine Ngobie addressing the Gambian Delegation Contd Pg.10 5 A d e l e g a t i o n f r o m T h e G a m b i a h a s undertaken a week-long study tour of the Anti- C o r r u p t i o n C o m m i s s i o n ’ s G r i e v a n c e Redress Mechanism (GRM) component of the Social Safety Net (SSN). The Gambian team th held an inception meeting with the ACC on 25 July 2022, to mark the start of the study tour of the operations of the Commission’ s GRM platform. The delegation comprised of ficers f r o m t h e D e p a r t m e n t o f C o m m u n i t y D e v e l o p m e n t , M i n i s t r y o f F i n a n c e A i d C o o r d i n a t i o n , N a t i o n a l S o c i a l P r o t e c t i o n Secretariat, Ministry of Information, and the W orld Bank of fice, in The Gambia. T h e G R M i s a p l a t f o r m w h e r e p r o j e c t beneficiaries and other stakeholders raise g r i e v a n c e s a n d m a k e c o m p l a i n t s o n c o r r u p t i o n - r e l a t e d i n c i d e n c e s d u r i n g t h e project implementation cycle. ACC is handling the GRM component of the SSN Project, and has scored many successes in preventing corruption during the course of implementation of the project. Such corruption prevention successes have been hugely recognized by the W orld Bank and other countries in the sub-region, including The Gambia. Explaining the purpose of their visit, the head of delegation, who doubles as the Deputy Permanent Secretary in the Of fice of the V ice President in The Gambia, Saikou T arawally , explained the strong relationship between Sierra Leone and The Gambia. He also acknowledged the good work of the ACC in controlling corruption in Sierra Leone. He said s o c i a l p r o t e c t i o n s e r v i c e s h a v e b e e n established in The Gambia for long but not in terms of GRM operations. He added that they are therefore in Sierra Leone to learn and share their experiences in order to better organize GRM in Social Protection Services in The Gambia. Responding, the Deputy Commissioner of the ACC, Augustine Foday Ngobie, highlighted the general work of the ACC and the role of the Commission in the implementation of GRM activities in social protection projects in Sierra Leone especially , the SSN. He gave a background to the establishment of the GRM through the support of the W orld Bank and UNICEF . He went further to highlight the specific roles of the GRM staf f such as Data O p e r a t o r s , D i s t r i c t M o n i t o r s , C o m m u n i t y Monitors, etc. whose activities are supervised by the GRM Coordinator . ACC’ s GRM Coordinator , Patrick Sundufu Morovia, presented a summary of activities of the GRM, especially on how complaints are received from beneficiaries and how they are handled. He also presented some of the impacts of the GRM on the country and beneficiaries. He said, through ef fective public education and outreach, beneficiaries and other stakeholders have knowledge on the project purses and how to channel their complaints when aggrieved, he said. The Social Protection T ask T eam Leader of the W orld Bank Of fice in Sierra Leone, Dr . Abu Kargbo, informed the delegation that since 8 A CC URGES GBALAMUY A CUST OMS ST AFF T O PRO TECT PUBLIC REVENUE Presentation of IEC Materials after the Engagement The Regional Manager of the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) in the North-west Region, Al-Hassan Sesay , on 30th August, 2022, told public of ficers at the Gbalamuya Customs Post at the Sierra Leone-Guinea border that government revenue must be protected and accounted for as stated by law . He made this statement during a customized meeting with the management and staf f of the N a t i o n a l R e v e n u e A u t h o r i t y ( N R A ) , Immigration Department, Sierra Leone Police personnel and other public service delivery institutions attached at the Gbalamuya border crossing point. Ad dr es si ng pu bl ic offi ce rs , th e Re gi on al Manager said it is the responsibility of all public of ficers to ensure that every penny received on behalf of government be protected. He said the Gbalamuya border customs post is a major revenue basket for government, noting that as a major gateway to Sierra Leone, most times negative perceptions about the country are fuelled by the negative attitude of public of ficers at the post. “There should be sound financial operations and a sound system of accountability relating to income generated," he maintained. Mr . Sesay called on staf f deployed at the customs post to be mindful of the anti- corruption laws and their interaction with the public when performing their duties. He said, with the 2019 amended Act, the Act has strengthened the asset declaration regime, provided for trial in absentia, restitution, of fence for examination malpractice and stif fer penalties. Senior Investigation Of ficer (SIO), Bernard Dixon said corruption has an adverse ef fect on r e v e n u e m o b i l i z a t i o n a n d t h e c o u n t r y ' s economy . He pointed out that ACC operations are informed by the type of reports and intelligence received from the public, including travelers. He went on to note that these intelligence most times indicate that there is a seeming organized syndicate operating to pilfer the much needed funds to address social services. He called on public of ficers to support the ACC and make Sierra Leone a better place for all. Mr . Dixon made a presentation on of fences in the Anti-Corruption Act relating to bribery , misappropriation of public funds and property , abuse of of fice and position, conspiracy to commit a corruption of fence, among others. Public Education Of ficer , Mohamed Thullah, who spoke on ethics in the workplace, stated that ethics as a key component of integrity regulates the conduct, attitude and behavior of public of ficers to be professional in their lines of duty . He described ethics as incredibly important and crucial in reducing costly errors, i l l e g a l p r a c t i c e s a n d m a i n t a i n i n g t h e institution’ s core values. He called on senior management of the public bodies attached at the Gbalamuya Customs Post to put in place internal controls that will address the culture of extortion, negative attitude to work, and other illicit activities. In his remarks, Manager of the NRA at the post Peter Dawah welcomed the ACC team and thanked them for taking such a laudable initiative to engage and sensitize them on various matters of corruption. He noted that the sensitization meeting will help and guide t h e i r o p e r a t i o n s a n d w i l l e n h a n c e collaboration. He registered his commitment to continue to enhance best practices and to c o n f o r m t o o p e r a t i o n a l g u i d e l i n e s a n d procedures. Presentation of IEC materials and question and answer session formed part of the engagement.

3. A CC DEPUTY COMMISSIONER ADDRESSES UNCA C ST A TE P ARTIES IN VIENNA ON SIERRA LEONE’S COMMITMENT T O FIGHT CORRUPTION The Deputy Commissioner of the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC), Augustine Foday Ngobie, on 6th September 2022, delivered an address on Sierra Leone’ s commitment to ef fectively address challenges and implement measures to prevent and combat corruption and strengthen international cooperation at the inter-sessional meeting of the Conference of State Parties to the United Nations Convention Against Corruption (UNCAC) in V ienna, Austria. In his presentation, the Deputy Commissioner assured the UNCAC State Parties of Sierra Leone's continued commitment to complying with UNCAC provisions noting, the country has taken positive strides in the prevention of corruption because of the known fact that prevention of corruption is far cheaper and sustainable, to prosecution or the recovery of stolen wealth. Mr . Ngobie further intimated the Conference of the tremendous ef forts Sierra Leone has made in strengthening its legal framework, including the amendment to the Anti-Corruption Act of 2008 to make it one of the strongest anti- corruption legal instruments in Africa. From 2018 to 2022, the ACC has secured over 90% conviction rate in the criminal matters it has prosecuted in court, reviewed the procedures of 14 public of fices, prof fered 461 recommendations, with a successful implementation of 336, which represents 73% compliance rate, he said. He also catalogued the remarkable gains the country has made in the areas of assets recovery , international cooperation, and the progressive rankings in national and international corruption perception indexes, singling out Sierra Leone’ s excellent pass of 83 percent (2021) in control of corruption in the Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) Scorecard. Mr . Ngobie updated the Conference on the country’ s successful implementation of the fourth generation of its National Anti-Corruption Strategy (NACS 2019-2023). Through the implementation of the Strategy , Deputy Commissioner stated, the ACC has established Integrity Management Committees (IMCs) in over 95 percent of MDAs both at national and sub-national levels, with the view to own the fight against corruption and promote integrity , transparency and accountability in service delivery . On the interventions in regard public awareness, civic space and collaboration with partners, Mr . Ngobie underscored Sierra Leone’ s positive and strategic approach to widening the civil society space, through the Of fice of the V ice President, which conducts quarterly national civil society dialogue across the country . He said the ACC, on its part, has deepened civil society collaboration and partnership, and media engagements nationwide. In his conclusion, Deputy Commissioner Ngobie expressed appreciation to UN Of fice on Drugs and Crimes (UNODC) for its remarkable role in combating corruption and other crimes globally . The four-day Conference, from 5th to 8th September , 2022, attracted anti-graft practitioners and activists, various government agencies, non-governmental organizations, civil society bodies and other non-state actors. The meeting focused on international cooperation, asset recovery , technical assistance and information exchange. The ACC Deputy Commissioner was accompanied at the Conference by the ACC Regional Manager , North-east, Mariama Navo. ACC Deputy Commissioner , Augustine Foday Ngobie at the Conference in V ienna 3 GAMBIAN DELEGA TION CONDUCTS STUD Y T OUR OF A CC GRIEV ANCE REDRESS MECHANISM .the involvement of the ACC in the implementation of the SSN, the project has not had any major corruption-related issues. He said that beneficiaries are always informed about the project package and they have been receiving the correct package without cases of bribery or extortion. This, he said, has helped boost economic activities such as small scale businesses, farming, etc. in beneficiary communities. As part of plans, the delegation visited the National Commission for Social Action (NaCSA), the National Anti-Corruption Strategy Secretariat, the National Social Protection Secretariat etc. to learn their roles in the GRM implementation process. The delegation also visited selected communities in Port Loko to interface with beneficiaries and stakeholders of the SSN Project. ACC Deputy Commissioner and The Gambian Delegation after the inception meeting A C C C O M M I S S I O N E R C A L L S O N Y O U T H S I N M A K E N I T O I M B I B E T H E S P I R I T O F ‘ U B U N T U ’ Contd from Pg.5 Contd from Pg.2 purposefully engaged and as such could become a menace t o s o c i e t y . A g a i n s t t h a t b a c k d r o p , h e f o r m e d t h i s o r g a n i z a t i o n w h i c h h a s produced over 500 graduates who are now self-reliant. E a r l i e r , t h e D e p u t y V i c e C h a n c e l l o r o f t h e E B K University of Science and T echnology , Dr . Baimba Kargbo in his welcome statement emphasized the need for the youth to abstain from corruption and violence. The Chairman of the event, Ibrahim Jalloh aka Jallomy , commended the ACC Commissioner for his achievements so far and his resolve to c o n t i n u e f i g h t i n g c o r r u p t i o n a m i d s t t h e challenges. Y ouths of Y outh Build Sierra Leone listening to the ACC Commissioner 10

6. A CC ENGA GES RAIC OFFICE IN MAKENI The Public Education and Outreach Unit of the Anti-Corruption Commission’ s Northeast Of fice st on 1 September , 2022, encouraged staf f of the Right to Access Information Commission (RAIC) to hold fast to their mandate and spurn corruption. This admonition was conveyed to the RAIC staf f in a customized meeting which, among other strategies, is an ACC prevention approach employed to engage public of ficers on the insidious ef fects of corruption and the need for a collective ef fort to combat the threat. Making the keynote anti-graft message at the engagement, which was held at RAIC’ s of fice on M a b a n t a R o a d i n M a k e n i , S e n i o r P u b l i c E d u c a t i o n O ff i c e r , A b d u l K a r i m B a n g u r a , highlighted ACC’ s staunch stance on fighting all forms of corruption. He added that the ACC is always ready to partner with as many institutions as possible to promote transparency and accountability within the public sector . This ef fort, he stressed, is a strategy in the ACC’ s National Anti-Corruption Strategy Action Plan (2019-2023). The senior of ficer also stated that the ACC expects all public sector actors to properly utilize public resources and take responsibility for their actions, not least in the context of fighting against corruption. Thus, he implored the RAIC workers to ensure that their conduct at work invariably bears them out as credible public of ficers. ‘The way to get it right and abstain from corruption is to strive to uphold integrity at all times,’ Bangura averred. In his contribution, ACC Resident Prosecutor , T imothy P . M. Sowa, drew the attention of the RAIC staf f to the law against corruption. The Prosecutor revealed that milestone reforms have been promulgated to pun ish p ersons who have been found guilty of corruption. Referring to the amended Anti-Corruption Act, the lawyer disclosed that besides a minimum fine of 50,000 [new] Leones/or a minimum prison term of 5 years, the law provides, among other things, for prosecution in absentia and vested in the ACC Commissioner to rescind any contracts he considers not being in the interest of the citizens. He further disclosed that the amended Act criminalizes examination malpractice, and that th on the 13 July , 2022 the High Court of Makeni convicted Foday Sulaiman Bangura on one count of engaging in academic malpractice, c o n t r a r y t o S e c t i o n 1 2 8 ( 3 ) o f t h e A c t aforementioned. The convict was sentenced to pay a fine of 50,000 New Leones or serve a five- year imprisonment term. The legal practitioner concluded that laws against corruption would be applied without fear or favor in pursuit of justice for the public. Furthermore, the RAIC staf f were updated on the recent recovery of over 180,904, 803 in the old Leones from the Freetown City Council. ACC Public Education Of ficer , Aiah Sourie, explained that the cash which was captured in the 2019 Auditor General’ s Report was paid to the Head of the Mayor ’ s Delivery Unit in contravention of the provisions of the Local Government Act of 2004. Mr . Sourie confirmed that the non- conviction-based asset recovery mechanism h a s p r o v e n a n e ff e c t i v e w a y o f g e t t i n g misappropriated public funds paid back without any major dif ficulty . In his response, Abu Bakarr Kargbo, RAIC’ s Commissioner in the region, thanked the ACC for the engagement, saying that he would want the two Commissions to work closely in the a d v a n c e m e n t o f t r a n s p a r e n c y a n d accountability in Ministries, Departments and Agencies. The Commissioner added that some heads of public institutions in the region would always take umbrage at his executing the mandate of the RAIC. ‘ I hope that this behavior will change, whilst collaborating with the ACC,’ he said with hope. The RAIC came into being by an Act of Parliament in October 2013, as a result of years of strong advocacy campaign by a coalition of Civil Society Organizations in the country and a b r o a d . A n d G o v e r n m e n t ’ s d e c i s i o n i s consistent with Article 9 of the African Charter which provides for the right to seek, receive, and impact information and ideas through media sources. RAIC is therefore mandated to enforce the release of information held by public authorities. The meeting ended with a question-and-answer session. ACC and RAIC staff after the meeting 6 A CC ENGA GES NA TIONAL PRO TECTED AREA A UTHORITY IN KENEMA Edward N. Blake ACC-PEO, addressing the officers of NP AA on the dangers of Corruption T h e A n t i - C o r r u p t i o n C o m m i s s i o n ( A C C ) Kenema Of fice, on 1st September , 2022, held its maiden engagement with the National P r o t e c t e d A r e a A u t h o r i t y ( N P A A ) i n a cus tom ize d mee tin g du rin g the ir reg ul ar muster parade in Kenema on general anti- corruption issues. Speaking on the purpose of the engagement, Edward Nathaniel Blake, Public Education Of ficer (PEO) ACC-Kenema said, meetings of this nature are designed by the Commission to help curb graft in government institutions. He however allayed the fears of the rangers that the Public Education and External Outreach Department is the friendly face that serves as one of the preventive arms of the ACC. He also stressed on the need to uphold integrity in their daily work as ignorance of the law is no excuse when it comes to the execution of the mandate of the Commission. He further brought to their attention that the ACC has received series of complaints on the conduct of rangers and investigations are set to commence soon. Laying bare the various corruption of fences as enshrined in the 2008 Anti-Corruption Act as ame nd ed in 20 19 , Sen io r Inv es tig ati on s Of ficer , ACC-Kenema, Belinda Hebron said that complaints filed against the NP AA ranges f r o m s o l i c i t i n g , a c c e p t i n g o r o b t a i n i n g advantage contrary to Section 35 of the ACA 2008 as amended. She anchored on their m a n d a t e , w h i c h i s p r i m a r i l y b a s e d o n protecting forest reserve and wildlife, but however , noted that there are illicit or illegal cutting down of trees for both charcoal and timber purposes. She further warned against such practices, noting that it is a recipe for corruption and which usually af fects both the giver and the receiver . Bockarie Kowa, one of the NP AA Regional Coordinators disclosed that the visit of ACC was timely as there have been gaps in their operations in the region. He maintained that most of the rangers are non-literate so the t e n d e n c y f o r t h e m t o a c t o r b e h a v e dif ferently has been eminent. He however assured the ACC T eam of a complete change in their approach towards work and promised they will start to behave in the generally acceptable manner . R e a f f i r m i n g t h e i r c o m m i t m e n t m o s t especially in the area of illegal cutting down of trees, Sullay Mohammed who is also the Coordinator/Commander of the NP AA in the Eastern Region said, they are going to embark on "Operation clamp down on timber loggers" in the East. As stipulated in the Wildlife Conservation Act No.27 of 1972 as amended in 2021, the NP AA h a s t h e m a n d a t e t o r e g u l a t e w i l d l i f e conservation and management across Sierra L e o n e i n a c c o r d a n c e w i t h t h e w i l d l i f e c o n s e r v a t i o n A c t o f 1 9 7 2 . I t a l s o supervises and regulates the management of a l l w e t l a n d s a n d f o r e s t r e s e r v e s throughout Sierra Leone, he concluded. Concerns as well as questions from the rangers stemming from the non-availability of w o r k i n g g e a r s , o f f i c e e q u i p m e n t t o non-payment of allowances formed the high point of the engagement. 7

2. A C C C O M M I S S I O N E R C A L L S O N Y O U T H S I N M A K E N I T O I M B I B E T H E S P I R I T O F ‘ U B U N T U ’ T he Commissioner of the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) has encouraged the youths of Makeni to inculcate and own the principle of “Ubuntu”, a South African word, which means “togetherness”. Francis B e n K a i f a l a E s q . m a d e t h e c a l l w h i l e d e l i v e r i n g h i s k e y n o t e a d d r e s s a t t h e Foundation Day of Y outh Build Sierra Leone held at the Auditorium of the Ernest Bai Koroma University of Science and T echnology th (EBKUST) in Makeni on 27 August, 2022. Th e th em e of hi s ad dr es s wa s "Y ou th Involvement in The Fight against Corruption f o r T h e A t t a i n m e n t o f I n t e r g e n e r a t i o n a l Solidarity for The Creation of a W orld for All Ages". The ACC Commissioner said his call was necessitated by the pledge of Y outh Build Sierra Leone, which the students recited; “W e the members of Y outh Build Sierra Leone pledge to work together” . Emphasizing on the significance of “Ubuntu”, Mr . Kaifala said that Sierra Leoneans must also believe in the philosophy of “I am, because we are” and I am, because you are” . He called on the youths of Makeni to continue cultivating the spirit of unity in working together without recourse to regional, ethnic, partisan or other inclinations. “W e are all Sierra Leoneans,” he said. I n o r d e r t o l i v e t o g e t h e r , t h e A C C C o m m i s s i o n e r o b s e r v e d t h a t there are certain values that we s h o u l d h o l d c o n s t a n t ; L o v e , R e s p e c t , A c c e p t a n c e , S h a r i n g , C o - r e s p o n s i b i l i t y a n d Social Justice. He said that we must imbibe a deep sense and culture of acceptance, as no one is responsible for being born a Fula, Mende, Kissi, Loko, Krio, T e m n e o r L i m b a , e t c . H e ad mo ni sh ed th e yo ut hs th at , “while we cannot change many things in our lives like the name one carries, the tribe they are born into and other natural structures and geographies, we can stay together in peace with respect, and progress, and that is the spirit of UBUNTU” . th While noting the sad events of the 10 August, 2022, which cost the lives of many young people, Mr Kaifala pleaded with the youths to v a l u e t h e m s e l v e s a b o v e t h e s e l f i s h tendencies of politicians. He registered his happiness for the youths, whom he said have demonstrated that one does not need to be a lawyer , an accountant or medical doctor to succeed. “A lawyer would need a carpenter to fix his roof, a plumber to fix his pipes and an electrician to do his electrical fittings. So all these fields are important and we need young p e o p l e t o f i l l t h i s s p a c e , ” h e n o t e d . Y outh Build Sierra Leone is a youth-based organization founded by Mohamed Robinson Sesay Snr , aka ‘Big Brother ’, on the pillars of e m p o w e r i n g y o u n g p e o p l e f o r s k i l l s development and the attainment of technical and vocational training in electricity , masonry , c a r p e n t r y , w e l d i n g , h o m e e c o n o m i c s , tailoring, plumbing, etc. In his short address on the history of Y outh Build Sierra Leone, Mr . Sesay said he believes in youth-empowerment, because he realized years back that, a good number of youths were not ACC Commissioner , Francis Ben Kaifala Esq. thrilling Makeni Y ouths on the principle of “Ubuntu” Contd Pg.10 2 ACC Commissioner Francis Ben Kaifala at the Saiid Business School, University of Oxford, for the Archbishop T utu Leadership Programme Certificate awarded to ACC Commissioner on completion of the prestigious Archbishop T utu Leadership Programme ‘L-R: ACC Commissioner Francis Ben Kaifala and Director of Public Education and Outreach at the th 5 Annual General Meeting of AAACA in Bujumbura, Burundi .‘ACC Commissioner being recognised on his election as representative of the AAACA for the W est Africa region by the Head of Anti-Corruption Bureau in Burundi ACC Commissioner Francis Ben Kaifala engages University Court of the Ernest Bai Koroma University in Magburaka on integrity issues in the academic sector Public Education and Outreach Department engages the leadership of Fourah Bay College on integrity issues

1. T h e C o m m i s s i o n e r o f t h e A n t i C o r r u p t i o n Commission (ACC) Sierra Leone has been unanimously elected to serve in the Executive Committee as W est African Regional Representative of the Association of Africa Anti-Corruption Authorities in the 5th Annual General Assembly meeting at the Royal Palace Hotel, Conference Centre, in Bujumbura, Burundi, East Africa. The election took place on 22nd June, 2022 during the General Assembly meeting. The Executive Committee is the second highest body of the AAACA and has the responsibility to take care of the day to day af fairs of the Association. Currently , the Secretariat of AAACA is in Bujumbura, Burundi. Francis Ben Kaifala continues to make Sierra Leone proud, as his unanimous endorsement is as a result of the remarkable and exemplary gains he has made and continues to make in the fight against corruption in Sierra Leone which the African continent continues to commend and be proud of. His successes are well known and often referenced on the African Continent. The erudite legal luminary , Commissioner Ben Kaifala the public may also recall was in 2020, unanimously elected to serve on the Africa Advisory Board on Corruption as member . He is also the immediate past President of the Network. of Anti-Corruption Institutions in W est Africa (NACIW A). Congratulations Commissioner for adding another feather to the cap of Sierra Leone on the Global Stage. ACC Commissioner Francis Ben Kaifala at the General Assembly Meet ing EDIT OR-IN-CHIEF Abubakar T uray EDIT OR Sylvanus Blake LA Y OUT & GRAPHICS Philippa M. Davies EDIT ORIAL AD VISERS Augustine Foday Ngobie Patrick Sandi Emmanuel Koivaya Amara EDIT ORIAL TEAM Published by the Anti-Corruption Commission Headquarters: 3, Gloucester Street, Freetown, Sierra Leone, W est Africa W ebsite: http//www@anticorruption.gov .sl Email: info@anticorruption.gov .sl Bo Office Addr ess: 10 Bo Pujehun Drive, Kebbie T own Makeni Office Addr ess: Mena Hill Reservation, Makeni Kenema Office Addr ess: Reservation Road, Of f Maxwell Khobe Street Kono Office: 18 Sanssie Street, Of f Kain Kordu Road, Koidu-Kono Port Loko : 13 Sherif f fa Street, Port Loko Hotline Nos: 077-985985 , 077 986 986. A CC GIVES HOPE T O F ARMERS IN K ONO DISTRICT T h e A n t i - C o r r u p t i o n C o m m i s s i o n ( A C C ) Regional Of fice in Kono has assured the farmers of the district of huge improvement in their lives and their trade if they join and support the fight against corruption. This reassurance was made th in a meeting held on the 30 August, 2022, at the Ministry of Agriculture Of fice, Simbakoro, Koidu City . The meeting, according to the Regional Manager Hawanatu Omotayo Kamara, is part of ACC’ s p u b l i c e d u c a t i o n d r i v e a i m e d a t r a i s i n g awareness on corruption and its damaging ef fects and to solicit public support in fighting the scourge. She assured the farmers that their hopes and aspirations for better standards of living will be revamped if they joined the ACC’ s call for collective ef forts and determination to resist, reject and report corrupt practices in the country . Mr s. Ka ma ra de sc ri be d ag ri cu lt ur e as th e bedrock of development and a vehicle to the country’ s attainment of food self-suf ficiency . She said the Government of Sierra Leone has spent huge sums of money on the agricultural sector but that corruption has been an impediment causing the country to continue to import huge quantity of rice. She stated that corruption has permeated every aspect of society which has made public support pivotal in addressing it. The Manager issued a stern warning to farmers for the mismanagement of inputs supplied to them for the improvement of farming in the country . Public Education Of ficer , Hawa Deen Conteh, said that the purpose of the engagement was to educate the farmers on the general work of the Commission and the need for collaboration in winning the fight against the scourge. She thanked the farmers for availing themselves for the engagement and said that the meeting was also to inform them of the prevalence of corruption in rural settings and to solicit support in ensuring that the war on corruption is won. The Public Education Of ficer also highlighted several corrupt practices across various sectors in cl ud in g lo ca l co ur t ad mi ni st ra ti on , sc ho ol system, healthcare, among others. She further pointed out several corruption demands in the aforementioned areas including but not limited to exploiting the people through the levying of exorbitant fines, payment for bail, illegal practice of "booking" at checkpoints, illegal charges in schools, extortion in health centers, and misuse of public funds, among others. She urged the farmers to resist, reject and report corruption always, using the toll free lines of 077985985 and 077986986 . She assured them of the protection provided under section 81 of the Anti-Corruption Act 2008 (as amended in 2019) for those making corruption reports to the Commission. She further disclosed to them the re-introduction of the 10% reward for any matter reported that leads to a successful recovery . Paramount Chief of Gbane Kandor Chiefdom, P .C Edward S. Bawa III thanked the ACC for organizing such an important meeting and commended them for the good work of ridding corruption in every aspect of society in the country . He therefore urged the farmers to continue working hard and to make good use of the opportunity being given to them by the Government. The District Agricultural Of ficer , Lamin Mbogba, earlier heartily welcomed the ACC team and expressed profound thanks and appreciation to them for conveying anti-corruption messages to farmers in the District. He acknowledged the s t r i d e s a l r e a d y m a d e b y t h e A C C a n d commended them for the good work done in the fight against graft.