By Esther Wright
Sierra Leone’s Anti-Corruption Chief, Francis Ben Kaifala has ended his tenure as President of the Network of National Anti-Corruption Institutions in West Africa (NACIWA) at the organization’s 5th Annual General Assembly at Transcorp Hilton Hotel in Abuja, Nigeria, on the 21st and 22nd March 2022.
His appointment which came in 2019 at the institution’s general assembly in Lomé, Togo, was informed by his radical and revolutionary efforts in the fight against corruption, coupled with his aggressive reforms in the anti- graft campaign, that continue to yield steady and unimaginable results. Commissioner Kaifala, whilst he served as the President of NACIWA, provided the desired leadership to the Network in advancing its core mandates of collaboration, policy harmonization, assets recovery and seizure, borderless investigations, among others.
These monumental and enormous successes of Sierra Leone’s war on corruption under Francis’ leadership has redefined the trajectory of the Network, with the fight against corruption taking centre stage in the Sub-region’s socio-political discourse.
It could be recalled that in 2021, Commissioner Francis Ben Kaifala was overwhelmingly elected to serve as a distinguished Board Member, on the African Union Advisory Board on Corruption (AUABC), with a view to more strategically contribute to the fight against corruption at the continental level.
“I step aside to give more attention to the continued Anti-Corruption effort in Sierra Leone and my role in the African Union Advisory Board on Corruption (AUABC)”, Commissioner Kaifala wrote in one of his social media posts to mark the end of his outstanding tenure, as he handed over the mantle of NAWICA leadership to his successor Abdulrasheed Bawa, Head of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) of Nigeria.
Sierra Leone remains very proud of the remarkable gains and imprints of Commissioner Ben Kaifala, who was appointed by His Excellency, The President, Brigadier (Rtd.) Dr. Julius Maada Bio to lead his primary commitment to waging war on corruption in Sierra Leone for the betterment of the country and its people.
