By Mustapha Sesay
Director of public education and outreach at the Anti-Corruption Commission has told Politico that they are organising a symposium to gauge public perceptions from various quarters on different aspects of bribery in Sierra Leone.
Shollay Davies said the symposium and panel discussions, slated for today September 12 at the Miata Conference Centre in Freetown, was in line with the global corruption barometer report, which he said was “really teasing” for the country.
He noted that the report mainly implicated the country on the grounds that “80% to 85 % of Sierra Leoneans have either given or taken bribe.”
“This is why, as the Commission that is charged with the duty of fighting corruption, we have embarked on such a symposium and to gather ideas and chart the way forward in curbing bribery,” he added.
Davies also said that the discussion would be centred on “The Agenda for Prosperity”, because the government vision basically talked about poverty reduction and that “poverty cannot be reduced without tackling corruption”.
The director revealed that panellists would be drawn from various sectors across the country, among them Umaru Fofana from the media, Francis Sowa a lecturer at the department of Mass Communication, Fourah Bay College and Prof. Joe A.D. Alie, who would serve as chairman for the occasion.
(C) Politico 12/09/13