By: Martina George, Communications Officer ACC.
Sierra Leone is a country that has struggled with corruption in Government for decades. However, the country has taken positive steps towards addressing these issues through the establishment of the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) in 2000. One of the key mandates of the ACC is to prevent corruption in Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) and strengthen them through the conduct of systems and processes reviews.
The systems reviews carried out by the ACC have laid a foundation for greater efficiency, accountability and transparency in public institutions. By improving service delivery, the Government has been able to better meet the needs and expectations of its citizens
The ACC is charged with the responsibility of controlling corruption in Sierra Leone. In discharging this mandate, the Commission collaborates with the leadership of the MDAs and conducts systems and processes reviews, which involves identifying systems weaknesses and proffering recommendations to strengthen these systems.
The Commission also often develops compliance manuals for the proper management of public resources in MDAs.
There is also the Ethics and Integrity Score Card which is aimed at assessing the public institutions’ framework to prevent corruption and promote integrity. The scorecard is an institutional assessment that will be conducted by the institutions themselves. Using key indicators and structures that the Commission thinks if institutions have them in place will help to promote integrity, identify risk of corruption and take the necessary preventive measures.
These ideas have tremendously helped to improve accountability. The systems reviews have increased accountability in public institutions by identifying potential corrupt practices and providing recommendations for mitigating them. By doing so, the ACC has helped to build public trust in the Government’s ability to manage public resources effectively.
One of the key areas that the ACC has identified as a source of corruption is procurement process. Systems reviews have helped to strengthen procurement processes by ensuring that contracts are awarded to competent, qualified and deserving individuals and that bidding processes are fair and transparent.
Another area is financial management practices in MDAs as another area prone to corruption. The system reviews have helped to improve financial management practices by identifying areas where financial leakages and fraud are taking place. This has led to greater accountability, transparency and efficiency in the management of public funds, which has significantly improved service delivery in MDAs.
MDAs play a pivotal role in revenue collection and public confidence for the Government. The systems reviews conducted by the ACC have identified areas where revenue is lost, and the Commission has gone further to provide recommendations for plugging these loopholes. As a result, MDAs are better able to collect revenue, which helps to fund public services and development initiatives. But more importantly, the prevention drives of the ACC have helped in ensuring efficiency and effectiveness in the MDAs as well as promoting transparency, accountability and integrity in public work.
