ACC and Makerere University strengthen ties

Professor Helen Nambalirwa Nkabala, Principal of the College of Humanities and Social Sciences and Director of the Rotary Peace Centre at Makerere University, was invited by the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) to an official meeting on January 12, 2025, at the Conference Room, Third Floor, Integrity House, Freetown. The visit shows a desire to strengthen ties between one of Africa’s top universities and Sierra Leone’s main anti-corruption organisation.
The ACC Commissioner welcomed Professor Nkabala and underscored the significance of her visit in bolstering integrity systems and improving Sierra Leone’s governance structure. He emphasised the Commission’s dedication to establishing long-term collaborations with the Rotary Peace Centre and Makerere University in areas such as staff capacity-building, leadership development, and research.
Professor Nkabala conveyed warm greetings from Makerere University’s leadership, including Vice Chancellor Professor Barnabas Nawangwe, and praised the ACC’s progress in promoting accountability and public integrity. She emphasised the university’s changing role in society, saying that Makerere has “moved from the ivory tower to the communities, because peace is built within communities.” She expressed a willingness to work with the ACC on institutional exchanges, tailored professional training programs, and the development of courses focused on integrity management and governance reform.
ACC Management, including directors and deputy directors, participated in an interactive session with Professor Nkabala during her visit, which covered leadership, ethics, peacebuilding, and anti-corruption tactics. She emphasised the value added by recent Sierra Leonean Rotary Peace Fellows who have received training in conflict transformation, negotiation, and mediation—skills she contended are critical to the ACC’s preventive and community-engagement initiatives.
Deputy Commissioner Augustine Foday Ngobie presided over the meeting and expressed gratitude for the growing partnership with Makerere University. He reaffirmed the Commission’s willingness to pursue academic collaboration, staff exchanges, and targeted capacity-building projects. Ngobie clarified that the ACC’s mandate is centred on prevention, public education, and enforcement, with a focus on preventive measures. He identified social safety nets, asset declaration, and accountability systems as high-priority areas for academic collaboration and tailored professional training.
During her stay in Sierra Leone, Professor Nkabala will visit the ACC’s Eastern Regional Office in Kenema and meet with the faculty and leadership of Fourah Bay College and Eastern Technical University. PhD scholarships, academic collaboration, and larger institutional partnerships will be the main topics of discussion. In addition to strengthening ties between anti-corruption efforts, peacebuilding, civic education, and national development, the visit is anticipated to strengthen collaboration between Sierra Leone and Makerere University.