June 13, 2016 BY ALIMAMY LAHAI KAMARA
Some 63 Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs) have met at the Cathedral Hall on Gloucester Street to validate their scorecards on the implementation of the National Anti-Corruption Strategy (NACS). The performance scorecards relate to measures the MDAs had taken to address key corruption indicators that impede service delivery. Officials representing the institutions constitute focal persons and members of the Integrity Management Committees (IMCs).
IMCs are internal structures established to advise management of MDAs on strategies and programmes to be employed to address key corruption issues identified in the National Strategy that negatively affect issues of transparency, accountability and integrity in the operations of MDAs.
In his keynote address, Anti-Corruption Commissioner, Ady Macauley Esq., linked the work of the Commission with the Agenda for Prosperity. “The ACC is among ministries departments and agencies charged to deliver on the Agenda for Prosperity,” he said. The ACC boss said his vision is tied with the agenda and that to deliver on key objectives, MDAs have to be assessed on progress made in implementation of measures that tackle malpractices and malfeasance in the workplace. “Improving on service delivery is a key benchmark in recording achievement in the Agenda for Prosperity. This requires periodic monitoring and evaluation, and the Report to be validated contains progress and achievements made in the implementation of programmes that strengthen the internal practices for the prevention of corruption,” he noted.
Director of National Anti-Corruption Strategy Secretariat, Nabilahi-Musa Kamara, said a civil society body, CARITAS-SL, was contracted to conduct the monitoring exercise after it satisfied standard procurement requirements. He stated that findings in the Report to be validated pointed at the willingness and commitment by MDAs to address gaps and weaknesses that give rise to the occurrence of corruption. He reiterated that many institutions have shown and continue to show growing commitment and collaboration in building and instituting internal anti-corruption measures.
CARITAS started the monitoring exercise in November, 2015 interviewing focal persons and members of the IMCs of MDAs on their implementation of the proposal measures in their Action Plans crafted from the NACS Implementation Action Plan, with the overarching objective of adopting measures that would deal with the corruption opportunities existing in MDAs.
It was the first validation, following the monitoring exercise conducted under the NACS 2014-18 as a means of gauging achievements made in the roll-out.
Manager of the NACS Secretariat, Patrick George, earlier in his welcome statement congratulated MDAs for their strides and support provided to the NACS Secretariat in the implementation of the Strategy. He underscored that the next monitoring exercise would be sometime late this year, coupled with the mid-term review of the Strategy.