Martina George, Public Education Office
The Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) has engaged Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) in an inception meeting at the conference room of the Integrity House, Tower Hill, in Freetown. The session formed part of the Commission’s preparations for a new initiative aimed at assessing and strengthening ethical standards and anti-corruption systems across the public sector.
In his opening remarks, Director of the Prevention Department, Rashid Turay, established that the initiative is anchored in the Commission\s mandate under the Anti-Corruption Act of 2008 (as amended 2019), which empowers the ACC to review practices and procedures within public institutions in order to mitigate corruption risks.
He explained that the ethics and integrity scorecard is a new tool designed by the Commission to strengthen ethical standards and efficient service delivery in every public institution.
Deputy Director, Samuel Muti Marah said that the Policy and Ethics Unit within the Department would lead the evaluation and ensure the deployment of ethical standards and integrity structures across the public sector.
He emphasised that the scorecard would measure how well institutions adhere to ethical norms, maintain integrity safeguards, and implement key anti-corruption controls. He added that the tool would also identify vulnerabilities and provide recommendations to enhance transparency, accountability and standard service delivery.
Speaking on the methodology, the Head of the Policy and Ethics Unit, Musa Kanteh, highlighted the importance of engaging MDAs through such inception meetings. He stated that the meeting offered the opportunity to explain the purpose, structure, and expectations of the scorecard, and that it would help institutions better understand their roles in ensuring anti-corruption measures.
Mr. Kanteh concluded that the scorecard is expected to foster a culture of ethical conduct and improve compliance across government departments, ultimately contributing to a more transparent, accountable, and efficient public service.
The meeting was highly interactive as it climaxed with questions and answers on the submission of questionnaires administered by the Commission to the respective MDAs involved.
