ACC Unveils Anti-Graft Policy for MDAs

Mr. Shollay Davies –Deputy Commissioner, ACC

The Deputy Commissioner of the Anti-Corruption Commission, Shollay Davies has unveiled the Institutional Anti-Corruption Policy for selected ministries. The launching ceremony took place at the ACC Gloucester Street Office, Freetown on Wednesday 24th August, 2016. The selected ministries include: The Ministries of Health and Sanitation, Education, Science and Technology, Mines and Mineral Resources, Fisheries and Marine Resources and Agriculture, Forestry and Food Security.

Addressing participants, the Deputy Commissioner noted that there have been challenges in the policy environment of the public sector in the past. He recounted that the policy landscape in the country was nothing to write home about. Most of the existing policies, the Deputy Commissioner noted, were either “obsolete or not adhered to.” When such challenges persist in the public sector, the effectiveness and efficiency of service delivery in MDAs pay the price, Mr. Davies argues.

Linking organizational culture, employee behavior and policy, the Deputy Commissioner, who is a veteran public servant and anti–graft strategist, submitted that policy development in the workplace generally, must be dynamic. As several factors influence behavioral change among employees, so the policies that regulate their behaviors must change, he added. ‘Policy’, he further postulated ‘must be subject to continuous review as emerging issues must have a place.’ That is why in this Institutional Anti-Corruption policy, review was made binding by dedicating an entire clause to it.

Emphasizing the need for the selected ministries to utilize the provisions in the Policy, the Deputy Commissioner cited Section 7 Sub-Section 2 of the Anti-Corruption Act 2008, which underscores the mandate of the ACC to design codes of conduct for public institutions.

In his statement, the Director of Systems and Processes Review Department of the ACC, Mr. Maurice  Williams, expressed delight on the cooperation his team enjoyed from the selected MDAs which worked with the ACC to develop the Policy. He noted that the ACC does not believe in individualism in so far as governance and policy issues are concerned; that is why the Commission partnered with officers in the selected Ministries to produce the document. He informed the audience that, the launch of the Institutional Anti-Corruption Policy is part of the Commission’s drive to promote the mainstreaming of anti-corruption measures into the civil service.

Responding on behalf of the Civil Service, Director of Human Resource Management Office (HRMO), the Revd. Emmanuel Pewa, stated that there had been a Civil Service Code but that alone is not sufficient to ensure adequate control of ethical manifestations of employees in the public sector. He praised the new policy championed by the ACC and pledged to closely collaborate with the Commission in the implementation of same.

The Chairman of the launching ceremony, Mr. Rashid Turay who is also the Deputy Director of Systems and Processes Review Department, urged the various ministries to take ownership of this document and use it. He admonished them against the traditional pattern of shelving important documents in the public sector – a practice that had incurred untold cost on employee performance and service delivery to the nation. All of the speakers thanked  and appreciated the European Union for funding the project.