By Bampia James Bundu
The Anti-Corruption Commission has officially launched its 2014-2018 National Strategy - NACS - to promoting a corruption-free society "in which good governance, effective and efficient public financial management and the rule of law are upheld”.
ACC Commissioner, Joseph Kamara described corruption as “an endemic and systemic ailment that has the potential to crumble the economic development and strength of a country by the embezzlement of government financial resources and institutions”.
He further described graft as “a hindrance to development”, which he said should be seen as an enemy to development as it hinders the economic growth of a country.
He urged all stakeholders in the fight against corruption to commit themselves even more by claiming ownership of the strategy and providing leadership.
Since the enactment of the ACC Act, the ACC boss explained, there had been a significant and strategic development in the fight against corruption as government institution, ministries, departments and agencies and officials were “working hard to combat corruption in the country”.
He commended the Auditor General’s Office for setting up an Audit Query register to monitor all related issues coming from the Audit reports, and suggested the institution of a single treasury account by the Finance Ministry which “will help monitor and manage all government finances and loan allocation through a single account that would be monitored by the Accountant General’s office”.
Officially launching the strategy, Special Adviser to the president, Professor Monti Jones noted that the third NACS strategy was a national document that must be embraced by all and called for a change in governance as the country moved towards the reduction of corruption. He stated that the government of Ernest Bai Koroma had implemented strategic measures to ensure the fight against corruption was fruitful through the empowerment of the institution to carry out its activities independently.
He went on that sustainable development would be possible if the country managed to reduce the level of corruption to a bare minimum, adding that the strategy showed government’s commitment to combating the source of corruption.
“As a government we are prepared to assist all those who have the responsibility of coordinating the implementation of the NACs and also those who would be charged with the practical implementation”, Dr. Jones said.
Mohamed Abu-Sesay, a member of the technical committee, said the strategy aimed at tracking corruption in the country through a multipronged balanced approach and a combination of actions on three "mutual reinforcement fronts" as provided for in the ACC Act of 2008, which, he said, included prevention, enforcement and supervision.
He noted that most government institutions provided “ample opportunities for corruption to prevail within their institutions”, and encouraged MDAs to develop their own anti-corruption policies with regards to their employee and suppliers”.
He urged them to comply with the relevant procurement act, regulations and manuals and development of a conflict of interest rules and access to information by the public and private sector regarding corruption.
(C) Politico 19/06/14
