BY Amie Massaquoi, Information Officer, ACC.
The Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) on Monday 3rd February, 2024, dialogued with a team from the World Bank to discuss the Accountable Governance for Basic Service Delivery Project, an initiative which aims to strengthen transparency, accountability and efficiency in public service delivery, ensuring that essential services reach communities effectively. This high-level meeting took place at the ACC’s conference room, at the Integrity House. Present at the meeting was the Deputy Commissioner and Heads of Departments of the ACC.
Welcoming the team from World Bank, Deputy Commissioner, Augustine Foday Ngobie, emphasized the importance of partnership in projects that bring development to the country. He highlighted ACC’s role which borders on ensuring transparency and accountability of public resources, to be effectively utilized for benefits of citizens. “This engagement is a testament to our shared belief that through transparency and accountability we can build a strong and efficient system and foster effective public service delivery” he emphasized.
“In previous World Bank projects implemented by the National Commission for Social Action (NaCSA) and other partners, the Commission established and is superintending the Grievance Redress Mechanism (GRM) an aspect which allows beneficiaries to report any suspected corruption issues they encounter during the implementation of the project, and has been one of the reasons for the success of the projects” he noted. The Deputy Commissioner concluded by reaffirming ACC’s commitment to support and work with the World Bank in implementing the Accountable Governance for Basic Service Delivery project which sits well with the ACC’s mandate to prevent, educate and investigate corruption.
In his presentation, Raymond Muhula, the Lead Specialist, World Bank, expressed confidence in the Commission noting that their support in World Bank projects like the Social Safety Net (SSN), Productive Social Safety Net and Youth Employment (PSSYNE) among others over the years has yielded great results. “The ACC has contributed immensely in the success of World Bank projects. In that light we want to continue to partner with the ACC in other projects funded by the World Bank to ensure its success” he said. He assured ACC of World Bank’s support to the Commission in executing their duties to eradicate corruption in Sierra Leone.
John Hodge, the Task Team Lead for the Accountable Governance for Basic Service Delivery World Bank project, highlighted the objective of the project which is to improve resource management, transparency and accountability of government systems for enabling the delivery of local development projects and basic services. “The 40 million United States Dollar project seek to address the issue of weak service delivery in government system and focuses on two main sectors which are health and education” he said. Mr. Hodge asserted that the Accountable Governance for Basic Service Delivery project which has been in existence since 2002, has three components: (i) Systems and skills for local service delivery, (ii) Local development financing, and (iii) Integrated data platforms for monitoring and accountability plus Project Coordination.
The meeting concluded with questions posed by the World Bank team about challenges the Commission faces when carrying out its duties and how these challenges can be addressed. The Deputy Commissioner, Augustine Foday Ngobie addressed these questions saying, even though the ACC is tirelessly working to fight corruption, challenges such as limited resources to get working tools, is hindering the ACC’s effort in combating corruption. He assured the team that the Government of Sierra Leone is doing their best to address these issues.
