Commissioner of the Anti-Corruption Commission of Sierra Leone, Francis Ben Kaifala, has been named among the prestigious 200 Obama leaders in Africa by the Obama Foundation. His selection comes from a pool of thousands of other leaders across Africa whose “Obamaesque” work and leadership drive is transforming lives and holds promise for Africa and the World.
The Obama Foundation Africa Leaders Progamme seeks emerging leaders from across Africa in government service, civil society, the private sector and beyond, who have demonstrated a commitment to advancing the common good within their spheres of influence and have clear potentials for impact and commitment to integrity; and are at the earlier stages of their careers and leadership.
Francis Ben Kaifala who holds a degree in Law (LLB) from Fourah Bay College, USL; an LLM in Law and Economics from the Queen Mary University of London; an LLM in Constitutional Law, Administrative Law, & International Human Rights Law, from the University of Texas at Austin, in the United States of America; etc. was Senior Managing Partner at the law firm Kaifala, Kanneh & Co. where he gained reputation as an astute and brilliant legal practitioner with a difference – prior to his ascendancy to the position of Commissioner of the ACC.
Whilst in private practice, the young legal luminary whose keener appreciation for integrity, clinical delivery for his clients and his penchant for speaking truth to power and taking controversial positions on national issues without fear, was inspired to co-found a group known as the “Renaissance Movement” – a conclave of highly accomplished like-minded young Sierra Leoneans who frowned at the distasteful state of our governance system and advocated reform. The Renaissance Movement, under his leadership channelled their desire to fight for a better nation into organization, platforms, and strategies for action and remains committed to this ethos to date.
This multiple award winning Sierra Leonean’s revolutionary and innovative leadership at the ACC over the past one year has left citizens wowed by its steady accumulation of successes which in this short period has dispelled the pessimism against the negative cloud that used to surround young people in Africa when it comes to occupying positions of trust and leadership – that they cannot perform; and has ignited a national belief that the country is now firmly positioned to effectively and sustainably control corruption. The country is fast gaining a reputation as a great example of a robust effort against corruption. Even the international indices are currently responding positively to the country: From Transparency International’s Corruption Perception Index; to the Millennium Corporation Challenge Scorecard on Corruption Control, are all testaments to the country’s sudden change in fortune in the fight against corruption; thanks to the efforts of the Young Commissioner, a highly professional ACC team and President Bio who had the vision and courage to place such an important task on the shoulders of the young, but highly effective, Leader.
After a filter from among 6000 youth, the programme is expected to assemble 200 emerging leaders from across 45 countries across the continent in Johannesburg, South Africa from July 10 through July 15, 2019, to explore new ways to tackle the biggest challenges facing their communities and countries; and Commissioner Francis Ben Kaifala will be proudly representing Sierra Leone in that league of budding African Change-Makers.
