The Deputy Commissioner of the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) Augustine Foday Ngobie, has in a usual manifestation of strong leadership in the roll-out of all unconditional cash transfer project activities and other work of the Commission commenced robust supervision of the “Third Cohort Contingency Emergency Cash Transfer (ECT)” across 11 Districts in Sierra Leone 🇸🇱, excluding the Regional Headquarter cities of Kenema, Bo, Makeni, Portloko and Freetown.

He commenced the supervision in Pujehun Town, Pujehun District, Southern Sierra Leone 🇸🇱 on Friday the 20th of October 2023. Addressing thousands of beneficiaries, the ACC strongman reassured the expectant crowd that each and every beneficiary would receive what is due them, without any Hussle, harassment, extortion, and intimidation.

He further assured them that he was out to continue to superintend the cash transfer payments and help address concerns and challenges on the ground. “We are out here to ensure together with our partners, (NaCSA and Orange mobile company) that you are attended to adequately. Every beneficiary head will receive Two Thousand Six Hundred and Nine New Leones (NLe:2,609) or Two Million,  Six Hundred and Nine Thousand Old Leones (Le:2,609,000) via electronic money/cash transfer to your Sim cards. There will be no deductions, and this money should be used for the well-being and welfare of your households. If you have any complaints or grievances, please feel free to tell me while I’m here, or you can tell the ACC staff here with you.”

Mr. Ngobie encouraged the payment teams to ensure the beneficiaries are serviced swiftly as many are household heads, old and sickly. He encouraged the beneficiaries to exercise patience as though the process might be long because of the huge number of beneficiaries, all of them will be paid eventually.

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At the Pujehun Town Barry, 4,047 beneficiaries were to receive the above stated amount. The project will service 35,000 beneficiary households across the 11 Districts, namely, Pujehun, Moyamba, Bonthe, Karene, Falaba,  Kambia, Koinadugu, Tonkolili, Kono, Kailahun, and Western Area Rural.

After his statement, a cross cutting concern from the majority of the beneficiaries, that came up during the interactive questions and answers session, had to do with their Sim cards through which the electronic cash transfer were done, which several people had complained were blocked 🚫 by Orange Ltd, the service provider.

Upon consultation with the Orange Team on the ground, the ACC Deputy Commissioner assured the beneficiaries that the issue was a precautionary move to protect the sim cards from being tampered with by unsuspecting persons, and that the issue will be addressed swiftly.

It could be recalled that the World Bank and UNICEF have committed a Forty ($40) Million Dollars Grant to the Productive Social Safety Net and Youth Employment (PSSNYE), a five-year (2022 to 2027) project, that seeks to provide unconditional cash transfer to beneficiary households, employment for youth, through the labour intensive cash for work and entrepreneur skills support for youths.

The supervision exercise of the ACC’s Deputy Commissioner continues in other districts in the coming days.