\By: Bernard Abass Kargbo – PEO, ACC.
A significant step in Sierra Leone's ongoing anti-corruption efforts was taken on Monday, June 30, 2025, when the newly appointed members of the Steering Committee for the implementation of the National Anti-Corruption Strategy (NACS) 2024–2028 were formally inaugurated in one of the Conference Rooms of the Office of the Vice President, Tower Hill. The inauguration was witnessed by the Deputy Commissioner of the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) and the Minister of State in the Office of the Vice President.
The Minister of State in the Office of the Vice President, Madam Manti Tarawalli, welcomed the Steering Committee members and pledged her support to the successful implementation of the NACS. She read out the terms of reference for the Steering Committee, which includes overseeing and directing the successful implementation of the NACS 2024–2028 in the next five years. She said this also entails monitoring quantifiable progress across public and private entities, encouraging responsibility, and guaranteeing adherence to the strategy's goals.
The Deputy Commissioner of the ACC, Augustine Foday Ngobie, said the Steering Committee includes representatives from a wide range of national players, such as government, development partners, private sector, the media and civil society organizations (CSOs). He said this inclusive composition reflects the strategy's dedication to a multi-sectoral approach to fighting corruption.
The Director of the NACS Secretariat, Mariama Navo, took the Steering Committee members through the various generations of strategies developed by the Commission since its establishment. She said that the current strategy primarily focuses on a corruption prevention approach.
The Deputy Director of the NACS Secretariat, Wilfred Bangura, said the Commission has facilitated the establishment of 118 integrity management committees in public offices to help address incidences of corruption and ensure effective service delivery. He said the Steering Committee will be monitoring the implementation of the NACS and will rank the compliance rate of public offices using a compliance barometer.
Responding, one of the Steering Committee members, Edward B. Koroma, who also doubles as the Acting Executive Director of Transparency International Sierra Leone, praised the composition of the Committee and pledged to work in its best interest.
President-elect of the Sierra Leone Association of Journalists, Alhaji Manika Kamara, stressed on the need for proper records keeping in public offices to enhance accountability and transparency.
