The Anti-corruption Commission (ACC), with support from the World Bank and other partners, conducted a sensitization workshop on the South Sudan Anti-corruption Commission Act 2009 (amended 2023) on Tuesday in Wau, Western Bahr el Ghazal State.
The theme of the workshop is “Fostering Partnership to Maximize Collective Impact on Corruption.”
While addressing the workshop, the chairperson of the Anti-corruption Commission in Western Bahr el Ghazal State, Nicola Gabriel, emphasized the importance of collaboration with stakeholders to effectively implement the Anti-corruption law.
“We brought the participants together because they will cooperate with us to address the issues of corruption in the state,” he explained.
For his part, Jeremiah Ater, the Executive Director of the National Anti-corruption Commission, noted that the workshop aimed to sensitize stakeholders about the South Sudan Anti-corruption Commission Act which was amended and signed by President Salva Kiir in December 2023.
“Today (Tuesday) is an important day because we are starting the sensitization about the anti-corruption law which was amended and signed by the president last December and the Anti-corruption Commission will not tolerate anyone embezzling public funds,” he said.
He added that the workshop also engaged stakeholders in discussions on the importance of combating corruption in the region.
Meanwhile, the Speaker of the Western Bahr el Ghazal State Legislative Assembly, Andal Wadallah Nasir, pledged to work with the Anti-corruption Commission to address corruption in the state for the well-being of the people.
“Our role in the assembly is well known, we monitor and implement the laws and this indicates that our work is together with the Anti-corruption Commission because we deal with all types of corruption,” he stated.
The state finance minister, Josephine Mario Ali, thanked the World Bank for supporting the Anti-corruption Commission to conduct the workshop.
“We need to work together to eradicate corruption because it is among us and even in our homes, and for us to eradicate it, it needs our collective responsibility,” she said.
The two-day workshop will cover topics such as the role of social accountability in fighting corruption, an overview of the amended law, investigation and prosecution procedures, assets and liability declaration, ethics and integrity, the status of the fight against corruption in South Sudan, and the way forward.