On Wednesday, November 30, 2022, the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC), which is in charge of implementing the Social Safety Net (SSN) project's Grievance Redress Mechanism (GRM), which aims to prevent acts that will constitute corruption in the project and address all beneficiary grievances, started monitoring the payment of beneficiaries of the Emergency Cash Transfer (ECT) in Freetown.
Augustine Foday Ngobie, Deputy Commissioner of the ACC, who joined Commission staff in the monitoring exercise of the targeting, enrollment, and payment of 1,309,000 Old Leones (Le:1,309,000) or 1,309 New Leones (LeN:1,309) to 9,900 beneficiaries who are part of the Residual Caseload but were not paid during the initial payment in 2021 due to some challenges, told the traders that the payment process had now resumed.
He advised beneficiaries to always feel free to contact and/or report all issues, problems, and grievances to the Commission, as there would be no retaliation for anyone who files a complaint with the ACC. He also guaranteed beneficiaries of a prompt and appropriate response.
The Deputy Commissioner visited the Wilberforce Barracks, Old School Complex, and other locations in Freetown during the on-the-spot monitoring exercise where hundreds of recipients—mostly women—whose businesses had been negatively impacted by the CoVID-19 pandemic and the current global economic challenges had gathered to be registered and paid the cash grant.
He informed them that the Emergency Cash Transfer project was funded by the World Bank, the Government of Sierra Leone (GoSL), and the European Union. It was carried out by the Rokel Commercial Bank and the National Commission for Social Action (NaCSA), and it was overseen by the ACC and other stakeholders.
The Emergency Cash Transfer initiative is an essential part of the SSN program, which was started to mitigate the widespread crippling economic impacts on especially vulnerable and impoverished households during the Ebola crisis, according to the Deputy Commissioner who gave an overview of the programme.
He said that even after the Ebola Pandemic, the SSN software continued to change and grow.
Mr. Ngobie continued by saying that the Emergency Cash Transfer to small-business owners and merchants, primarily women, who were severely impacted by the CoVID19 outbreak and its economic implications will assist them revive their failing startups.
On the overall running of the activity, Mr. Ngobie spoke at random with recipients and stakeholders conducting the cash transfer. The recipients claimed that there were no issues with the payment because everything ran properly at all of the facilities they visited and there were no obvious concerns.
They acknowledged that the registration and payment processes were running smoothly and that they had no worries. They valued the ACC leadership's immediate visit, which they described as comforting.
The Institute for Governance Reform, the ACC staff, NaCSA, and Rokel Commercial Bank, who were handling the registration and payment, were among the parties involved in the process. The ACC Deputy Commissioner warned them all to keep the highest standards of honesty and openness in their work.
All the important stakeholders, according to him, were present to support the procedure, ensuring beneficiaries have unrestricted access to their benefits, and make sure the goals of the SSN program, also known as the "ep fet po" program, are not compromised.
For easier reference and increased collaboration, he sent the stakeholders and beneficiaries a list of the ACC personnel stationed at each center.
All beneficiaries of the 9,900 Residual Caseload will accurately receive their one million, three hundred, and nine (Le:1,309,000) or one thousand, three hundred, and nine (LeN:1,309) Leones during this phase of the payment.