According to the Institute for Governance Reform (IGR)'s 2022 Afro-Barometer Report, Sierra Leone has made significant progress in reducing corruption levels in key institutions. The report, released on April 25th, 2023, shows that citizens' trust in Sierra Leone's Anti-Corruption Commission has risen from 43% in 2020 to 52% in 2022, a nine percentage point increase. The commission's strong stance on anti-corruption values in Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs) and the effective functioning of Integrity Management Committees are credited with this increase in trust.
The Afro-Barometer Report also reveals a notable decrease in the perception of corruption in the Presidency, from 40% in 2012 to 31% in 2022, indicating a nine-point improvement. Additionally, corruption levels in the Judiciary, particularly with Magistrates and Judges, have reduced from 50% in 2012 to 34% in 2022, and in Local Councils, primarily with Local Government Councilors, from 52% in 2012 to 38% in 2022. However, there has been a slight increase in the perception of corruption within the Police force, from 69% in 2012 to 71% in 2022, a two-point rise.
Over the last four years, Sierra Leone has consistently scored highly in global, regional, and domestic anti-corruption rankings. In the Transparency International's Corruption Perception Index 2022, Sierra Leone climbed 20 places to its highest score of 34, surpassing the Sub-saharan average and ranking at 110, up from 130 in 2017.
The Afro-Barometer is a non-partisan survey research network covering Pan-African countries that provides reliable data on democracy, governance, and quality of life experiences and evaluations. The Round 9 survey conducted in early 2023 interviewed 1,200 adult citizens of Sierra Leone.