By Morlai Sesay
Friday, 2nd February 2024, the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) updated the general public that the most recent Afrobarometer Survey Report, Round 9, 2021/2023, covering 39 countries, has ranked Sierra Leone Government’s Performance in fighting corruption with a Score of 58 percent, far above the 39-country average of 29 percent. The report further reveals that Sierra Leone is also ranked as one of ONLY Six (6) African countries with majority approval of their government’s stellar performance in fighting corruption.
In addition, it is disclosed that Sierra Leone is further ranked 39 percent, 2nd to Benin's 58 percent, with a huge change in approval of the Government’s performance in the fight against corruption.
The report says the Anti-Corruption Commission of Sierra Leone shows a significant decline of only 7 percent of Sierra Leoneans, considering corruption the most critical problem facing Sierra Leone. According to the Report, 51 percent of citizens think the level of corruption has increased, with an average high increase of 58%, as opposed to 71 percent recorded in the survey Round in 2014/2015, thereby showing a significant decrease.
Comparatively, in other African countries, the report states that 82 percent of respondents in South Africa, 77 percent in Ghana, Gambia, and Kenya, 76 percent, 74 percent, and 73 percent in Liberia, Nigeria, and Senegal, respectively, think the level of corruption has increased in their respective countries.
In African governments’ management of COVID-19 funds, Sierra Leone is ranked 3rd for sound management of funds across 39 countries with an average percentage of 68, and Sierra Leone records only 43 percent. In contrast, Tunisia, Kenya, and Nigeria poorly recorded 89 percent, 88 percent, and 83 percent, respectively.
However, the Report shows that citizens’ perception of police corruption remains grim, at 72% compared to an average of 46%. In that regard, the Commission reiterates its commitment to continue collaborating with the leadership of the Sierra Leone Police to address bribery issues in their operations.
Furthermore, the 2023 Afro-Barometer Round 9 Survey Report states that Two-thirds (67%) of Africans believe their government is failing in the fight against corruption, except in Sierra Leone, Benin, Tanzania, Zambia, Mali, and Guinea, where citizens trust that their government’s anti-graft campaign is yielding dividends. In the last Afro-Barometer Round 8 Survey Report conducted in 2014/2015, Sierra Leone was rated an abysmal 19 percent, which shows that corruption prevalence in the country has continued to experience a decline as well as a show of strong Government determination and effectiveness in combating the scourge.
Commenting on the findings of the Report, the Commissioner of ACC, Francis Ben Kaifala Esq. said: “This is good news for the country’s massive strides in the fight against corruption, especially so when it corroborates other local and international transparency surveys which continue to rate Sierra Leone highly favorably. For example, according to the 2023 Transparency International Corruption Perception Index published on 30th January 2024, for the 5th consecutive year in five years, Sierra Leone progressed 22 places upwards in the TI Rankings, moving from 110 in 2022 to 108 out of 180 countries surveyed. As we are about to usher in a new National Anti-Corruption Strategy, we will only assure Sierra Leoneans that the fight against corruption will continue to be tougher and fiercer in a bid to make far more gains than we have had in the past.”
Afrobarometer is a pan-African, non-partisan survey research network that provides reliable data on African experiences and evaluations of democracy, governance, and quality of life.
With the unending groundbreaking records, the Commission continues to reassure the public of its relentless efforts to resolve and effectively control corruption at all levels in Sierra Leone.
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