The Director of the Anti-Corruption Commission’s Northern Regional Office, Fatu Florence Kamara, has delivered a statement on the Commission’s Grievance Redress Mechanism (GRM) during a training workshop organised by the Sierra Leone Second Financial Inclusion Project (SLSFIP). The event took place at the Sierra Teachers’ Union Hall in Makeni on 23rd June 2025.
Addressing participants, Mrs Kamara described the GRM as an oversight tool designed to promote transparency and accountability in the implementation of the Productive Social Safety Nets and Youth Employment (PSSNYE) project. The GRM, she said, serves as a channel through which complaints from targeted beneficiaries and the wider public are received and addressed.
She noted that with the support of District and Community Monitors, the mechanism collects feedbacks and facilitates timely resolution of grievances, contributing to the successful delivery of the project’s objectives. The Director also highlighted that the GRM includes public engagement efforts to educate beneficiaries on the project and their roles in its implementation.
Once complaints and concerns have been diagnosed and categorized, those that are considered as administrative, for example a name mismatch, are referred to the appropriate institution or implementing partners, such as Statistics Sierra Leone, for a resolution. And those categorized as corruption-related directly fall within the ambit of the ACC.
She said the GRM encourages reporting irregularities in the project by calling the toll-free line 8515 (all networks), 0779-85985, or 077-986986 on all networks from 8:30 am to 5: 00 pm weekdays. “Complaints can be made in any language the aggrieved person chooses, so that accurate details of any issues raised are easily communicated. This has increased the trust and confidence of the beneficiaries in the ACC and the PSSNYE project itself,” she said.
Mrs Kamara further stated that the GRM component of the PSSNYE is aligned with provisions of the United Nations Convention against Corruption (UNCAC), and recalled that the Commission had previously performed this role in the now-concluded Social Safety Nets (SSN) programme.
The workshop aimed at enlightening the participants on the principles and best practices of GRM, including channeling complaints and resolution procedures. It was also intended to equip them to access and use online GRM platforms.
