A team from the Anti-Corruption Commission’s (ACC) Public Education and Outreach Department has concluded a sensitization on the World Bank-supported Productive Social Safety Net and Youth Employment (PSSNYE) in the northern districts of Bombali, Tonkolili, Koinadugu and Falaba respectively.
The engagements, which took place from the 20th to 24th, May 2024 were meant to update beneficiaries and other stakeholders of the PSSNYE project, which is implemented by the National Commission for Social Action (NaCSA).
The engagements attracted participants from different stakeholders; youth, women’s groups, chiefdom authorities, beneficiaries and potential beneficiaries of the project.
Deputy Director, Public Education and Outreach Department, ACC, Abubakarr Turay, described the PSSNYE as a 42 million dollar World Bank project implemented by NaCSA, the Ministry of Labour, Ministry of Youth Affairs and local councils across the country. He said the five-year project is meant to provide employment for young people, direct cash transfer for the aged and other vulnerable groups, and support to communities affected by natural disasters.
While highlighting the role of the ACC in the project, Mr Turay said that the presence of the Commission is to ensure transparency and integrity in the implementation of the project. “Our role is different from that of NaCSA, our role is to make sure that the project is properly executed,” he said.
Mr Turay further asserted that, the ACC is not responsible for payment, but for ensuring that the correct amount is paid to beneficiaries and the right people receive what is due to them. “If the project document assigns a particular amount of money to each beneficiary, the ACC is here to ensure that you receive that amount. We also ensure a safe platform for grievances to be reported and addressed through our Grievance Redress Mechanism (GRM) Unit,” he added.
Mr. Turay ended by encouraging his audience to always use the Commission’s toll-free lines to report corruption in all aspects of the project and other acts of corruption in their communities.
Giving an overview of NaCSA’s role in the PSSNYE project, the Regional Coordinator (RC), Northern Region, Madam Fatmata Fataba Babawo, speaking at the engagement in Makeni, noted that NaCSA is not working in isolation, but works in collaboration with other institutions like, Statistics Sierra Leone (SSL), ACC, etc., to enhance transparency in the implementation of the project. In order for NaCSA to do the right thing, she said, “we always invite other partners.”
She informed participants that one of the components of the project will target old people who will benefit from direct cash transfer.
Madam Babawo admonished her audience that sim cards have already been given out to beneficiaries who will receive unconditional cash. She said that NaCSA used to pay beneficiaries physical cash but is now working with Orange Money to make the payment electronic.
PC Dr. Manga Salifu Samura of Solima Chiefdom, Falaba Town, Falaba District, while welcoming the Team from ACC, encouraged his people not to be afraid of the Commission, but to collaborate, and embrace the good work they do. He said that the “ACC is not a witch-hunter but a protector of public property and the common good. “I am not afraid of the ACC because I always do the right thing. They are not always around to arrest but to ensure that the right thing is always done”.
He encouraged his people to serve as watchdogs in their community, as community project not properly implemented will negatively affect the beneficiaries. “If a substandard bridge construction is done in your community and you fail to report it to the ACC and an accident occurs, you will have yourselves to blame,” the Paramount Chief underscored.
All the engagements ended with questions-and-answers sessions.
Credit: Public Relations Unit, ACC
