Institutional Capacity Building for Combating Corruption in Sierra Leone PURPOSE OF PROJECT To strengthen and improve the capacity of the staff and Anti-Corruption Commission thereby ensuring effective implementation, coordination and monitoring of all anti-corruption initiatives with a view to promoting the core values of integrity, professionalism and building coalitions in the prevention and fight against corruption in Sierra Leone. The Grant will support the efforts of the government of Sierra Leone to combat corruption by building the capacity of the lead institution in the country that fights corruption. BACKGROUND Since independence, 47 years ago, the country has experienced devastating political instability and civil strife.  Its chequered political history gave way to deteriorating economic, social and political circumstances, bringing about the erosion of values, morals and ethical standards leading to widespread corruption at all levels of the society. Corruption was identified as one of the major causes of the 10 years of rebel war in Sierra Leone. The scourge led to the deprivation of the vast majority of the people, such that the country is considered as one of the poorest nations in the world in spite of its rich natural resources. This has been perpetuated and consolidated by undemocratic practices, bad political and economic and corporate governance and management. The public service itself has been characterised by a plethora of problems including poor staff motivation, cumbersome and outdated regulations and procedures, weak systems of accountability and transparency and an unsystematic and uncoordinated human resource development all of which created a fertile ground for the seeds of corruption to grow and flourish. The Government of Sierra Leone fully aware of the effect of corruption in its developmental efforts set up the Anti-Corruption Commission through an Act of Parliament in February 2000 with a mandate to prevent all forms of corruption in Sierra Leone.  For close to a decade after its establishment, the Commission's efforts had been frustrated by a number of factors including a seeming lack of political goodwill and inadequate funding to improve its capacity. In his maiden address to Parliament the newly appointed President of Sierra Leone, Ernest Bai Koroma, emphasized his government's commitment to the fight against graft and zero tolerance policy for corruption. He noted that it was his Government's top priority. Albeit the establishment of the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) as a crucial part of the process of consolidating peace and good governance, the Commission cannot as a independent institution effectively in the fight against corruption without the support of the other pillars of integrity in the state. This requires a broad stakeholder coalition. Consequently, a national anti-corruption strategy (NACS) was adopted and launched by the Government early this year and Steering Committee chaired by the Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation has been set to effectively direct the fight against corruption. The Anti-Corruption Commission is built on the values of ethics, integrity and professionalism. The object of the Anti-Corruption Commission, as set out in the Anti-Corruption Act 2008, is as follows: a)   to take all steps as may be necessary for the prevention, eradication or suppression of corruption and corrupt practices; b)   to investigate instances of alleged or suspected corruption referred to it by any person or authority or which has come to its attention, whether by  complaint or otherwise; c)   to investigate any matter that, in the opinion of the Commission, raises suspicion that any of the following has  occurred or is about to occur- "   conduct constituting corruption or an economic or related offence; "   conduct liable to allow, encourage or cause conduct constituting corruption or an economic or related offence; and d)   to prosecute all offences committed under this Act. The vision of the Commission is "a corruption-free Sierra Leone which will ensure that the socio-economic needs of its citizens are met" and the Commission's mission is to lead the fight against corruption in partnership through public education, prevention, detection and compliance for the benefit of all citizens. The three strategic goals for the attainment of the mission and vision of the Commission as stated in its Strategic Plan 2008-2010 include: Goal 1: ACC's Capacity for NACS Implementation Strengthened Goal 2: Service delivery expanded and improved Goal3: Enhanced Public awareness on corruption and positive image for ACC Achieved. Sierra Leone is a party to various International Conventions such as the United Nations Convention Against Corruption (UNCAC 2003) and the African Union (AU) Convention in preventing and combating corruption (Maputo, 2003).  In view of these therefore, the ACC has worked more towards an integrated strategy to fight corruption. The ACC has formed working alliance with complementary anti-corruption bodies like NPPA, Audit Service, Judiciary, the Police and the Ministry of Finance and the Establishment Secretary's Office.  The Anti-Corruption Commission in conjunction with other bodies has held a series of national workshops throughout the country to educate the society about corruption.  The ACC has created public awareness on corruption and related issues through the press and electronic media. A new Anti-Corruption Act has just been passed by Parliament. The new provisions in the Act confers on the Commission legal personality; revises the role of the Advisory Board; bestows prosecutorial powers on the Commission; creates new offences such as illicit enrichment, abuse of office and misuse of office; provides adequate protection for whistleblowers and informers; makes it mandatory for all public servants to declare their assets and makes adequate provision for international cooperation in the fight against corruption. All of these new changes highlight the need for well trained, specialized personnel to undertake the tasks that go with the new responsibility. In summary, for the ACC to be effective, there is an urgent need for its capacity building and strengthening. The development objective of this grant is to support the efforts of the Government of Sierra Leone to combat corruption by building the capacity of the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) in the country and mobilizing public support for anti-corruption work in Sierra Leone.