Seven years ago, on a day like this, Sierra Leone began writing a bold new chapter in the war against corruption, one inked not in fear or compromise, but in audacity, reform, and relentless pursuit of integrity. That chapter began with the appointment of Francis Ben Kaifala Esq. as Commissioner of the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC). At just 34, he brought with him a potent mix of youthfulness, unmatched brilliance, and a true renaissance reformist fire that refused to flicker.
Already the longest-serving Commissioner in the history of the Commission, the trail he has blazed is nothing short of revolutionary. His era has seen not just a fight against corruption, but a strategic and surgical dismantling of the systems that embolden it. He has employed a rare blend of legal genius and moral courage in transforming the ACC from being passive into a dynamic force that is feared by the Corrupt and admired and applauded by reformists across the African continent.
From the onset, he redefined the corruption fight as what it ought to be:”a high-risk, low-return venture” a phrase that has now become a mantra within governance spaces in Sierra Leone and beyond. Under his leadership, the Commission didn’t just prosecute, it innovated, it reformed, it disrupted.
The introduction of the Special Anti-Corruption Division within the High Court and a dynamic regime of legal reforms ensured that justice was not only swift but surgical. The conviction rate has consistently towered above 90%, sending a clear message that impunity is no longer currency in public service.
Equally groundbreaking is the Commission’s aggressive Non-Conviction-Based Asset Recovery strategy, yielding over 76 billion (Old Leones) in recovered stolen wealth, most of which has been paid back into the Consolidated Revenue Fund including 12 Billon (Old Leones) paid just yesterday. This does not include other several billion leones of cash and property recovered and returned to other public and private institutions, like the 3 billion leones currently being recovered on behalf of the Freetown City Council.
However, the battle wasn’t only fought in courtrooms or recovery desks, it was waged in minds, hearts, schools, communities, and institutions. Public Education Revolution ensued from town hall meetings to social media blitzes led by the very Commissioner that took the message of integrity everywhere.
The National Anti-Corruption Strategy (NACS) 2019 – 2024 was domesticated across MDAs and backed by strong enforcement and it achieved maximum success before its completion. The new NACS, patterned around prevention and notably integrating technology, is on its seamless rollout.
The Integrity Management Committees (IMC) with government institutions have been strengthened as their internal anti-graft mechanism.
In the area of assets declaration, no public officer today is left in doubt: failure to declare assets is not a paper crime. It is an offence that attracts sanctions that include Forfeiture of salary, suspension and dismissal. These provisions have been invoked allowing for maximum milestone compliance.
This clearly shows that the culture of shadowboxing corruption has vanished and the era of excuses has expired.
Internationally, Sierra Leone moved from near-bottom to top-tier in global anti-corruption rankings: MCC Scorecard had been passed for 7 consecutive times, surging from a failed score of 49% in 2017 to a consistent excellent score of over 70% under his competent leadership.
Local non-governmental organizations have also told testimonies of the Commission’s high gains in the past years amidst challenges that were never allowed to subdue productivity and results.
These massive gains have attracted counterparts from Cameroon, Guinea, Liberia, Gambia that have visited Sierra Leone to understudy our efforts, something that continues to place us in pole position of global acclamation.
Francis Ben Kaifala’s influence has not gone unnoticed as he has attracted huge international attraction and has served in a range of distinguished capacties in the continental anti-graft architecture. He was President of the Network of Anti-Corruption Institutions in West Africa (NACIWA); Member of the African Union Advisory Board on Corruption (AUABC); West African Representative in the Executive Committee of both the Association of Anti-Corruption Authorities in Africa (AACAA) and West Africa’s Sub-regional Representative in the Association of Anti-Corruption Authorities in Commonwealth Africa (AAACA).
Unsurprisingly so, in these years, the U.S. Government International Anti-Corruption Champion 2021, received numerous awards recognizing, appreciating and validating his remarkably transformative work. In 2022, he also received the Prestigious Achievement Award as Alumni of the Year Queen Mary University of London; Most Influential People of African Descent; The Katala CEDEAO Award for WEST AFRICA’S MOST PRESTIGIOUS LEADER 2024, to name but a few.
Beyond these milestones, what defines this journey is the sheer and unparalleled resilience in a country entrenched with endemic cynicism. At the heart of the threats faced, futile smear campaigns, and other imminent pushbacks, he has never flinched. With humility and moral clarity, he has continued to walk the tightrope between firmness and fairness. And in all of these he has brought the public along.
As Sierra Leone continues to consolidate its governance gains, one thing that remains clear is that the Francis Ben Kaifala Era has changed the Anti-Corruption narrative for good. It has ignited a culture of accountability, restored public confidence, and proved so loudly and so irrevocably that leadership in integrity is possible. And better is indeed possible!!
Congratulations, Commissioner Kaifala, on seven years of transformative, fearless, and people-centered leadership. Your legacy is not just in laws passed or huge funds recovered, it is in minds changed, systems reformed, and a nation that now believes corruption can be defeated.
This Anti-Corruption revolution, which has never been seen before in the continent, is swiftly changing the fortunes of a country and restoring its respect among its global counterparts.
The ACC is NOT a revenue generating entity; it serves to curb corruption. And where do we stand in the fight against corruption? A pointer by the Corruption Perception Index (CPI) shows SL has hardly made any progress spanning a 10-year period: 29% (2015), 30% (2017), 30% (2018), 33% (2020), 34% (2022), 33% (2024). So, what’s the fuss?