By Foday Moriba Conteh
H.E. Hu Zhangliang, Chinese Ambassador to Sierra Leone and team, on the 19th May, 2021 paid a courtesy call on the Commissioner of the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC), Francis Ben Kaifala Esq. at his 3 Gloucester Street Office in Freetown, and made donations to the Commission in furtherance and support of the country’s remarkable Anti-Corruption efforts.
Ambassador Hu conveyed special sentiments to the Commissioner on behalf of President Xin Jingping and the Government and people of The People’s Republic of China for the alluring credentials that the Commission has gained over the past three years in the fight against corruption; and encouraged the Commissioner and his team to be relentless in the fight, as it bodes well for the actualization of the country’s development aspirations and international image. *”You have impressed us, you are fearless, and dedicated to the fight against corruption, as corruption is a tumor in the development goals of a country,” Ambassador Hu said.
He furthered that China also has a robust approach to fighting corruption; stating that the huge successes of the ACC in the fight against corruption has driven them to forge this new alliance with the Commission, with the view to identifying areas of much needed support for the Commission. He ended by expressing hope that the donated items which are; four desktop computers, one projector with screen, and a set of office desk and chair will help to further support the work of the Commission. He stated that this was merely an initial gesture of goodwill but said there will be more in the future as the relationship develops.
In his statement, Commissioner Francis Ben Kaifala welcomed Ambassador Hu and his delegation to the ACC and expressed gratitude to the Chinese Embassy in Freetown for their thoughtful consideration in deciding to support the fight against corruption.
He said, “We have made great progress in the fight against corruption over the last three years with the existing capacity that we have; so you can only imagine how many more grounds we would cover with the requisite capacity and support. We still battle with many institutional challenges including; the lack of a purpose built anti-corruption office to accommodate more personnel- but one is under construction; inadequate tools to carry out the work, modern forensic equipment etc.
Most importantly, the Commission intends to make massive investments in corruption prevention with the required funding. So your support is timely and appreciated.”
Commissioner Kaifala also emphasized on the need for technical support to the Commission through capacity building programs which will enhance the skills of staff to carry out their work with greater efficiency.
The Commissioner of the ACC later took the Ambassador and his team on a conducted tour of the Commission’s offices at Gloucester Street.
Sierra Leone and China share diplomatic relations that stretches back to 50 years. During this period, the country has benefited greatly from Chinese support especially in the area of infrastructure; and most recently, massive student exchange programs and scholarships.
The meeting was chaired by the Director of Public Education and Outreach of the ACC, Patrick Sandi.
