APA-Abidjan (Ivory Coast) After a period of introspection, the African Development Bank (AfDB) has announced an amibitious drive to tackle corruption and other financial improprieties threatening to sully its reputation as a credible institution.
The financial institution is now giving itself six months to sensitise its stakeholders, both internal and external, on the new whistleblower policy, approved by the Boards of Directors on January 19, 2023.”
It is on a crusade against fraud and corruption that can undermine its credibility.
To this end the AfDB’s 2007 whistleblowing and complaint handling policy, considered at the time as progressive because of the importance given to the contributions of whistleblowers in its anti-corruption drive and the zero tolerance for any retaliatory measures against them has been strengthened.
This new spirit of doing things was contained in a statement seen by APA on Wednesday.
“members of the bank’s boards of directors and elected officials fall under the disciplinary purview of the policy when they are found to have threatened or participated in retaliation against any party, internal or external, for reporting fraud and corruption in the bank’s operations, or participating in audits, investigations and
disciplinary processes” it said.
In addition, with regard to external whistleblowers, “the new policy ensures that the Bank Group will continue to protect individuals or entities who disclose in good faith cases of fraud or corruption, refuse to break the law by making public disclosures, challenge national or international illegality, as well as abuse of power, mismanagement, gross waste or serious threats to health or safety, or who are wrongly identified as whistleblowers.”
The new policy also ensures due process by providing “temporary assistance to individuals who are victims of retaliation pending the final resolution of their complaint,” protecting “the rights of individuals who request whistleblower protection from retaliation so that they can seek recourse against decisions made by the bank,”
preserving “the anonymity of whistleblowers with the maintenance of the confidentiality of its procedures,” and asserting “the right of whistleblowers to be informed of the status of their requests.”
To ensure that no one is unaware, the African Development Bank will be raising awareness on its whistle-blowing policy.
Speaking at Wednesday’s launch of these activities in Abidjan, Cote d’Ivoire, the Director of the Bank Group’s Integrity and Anti-Corruption Office, Paula Santos-Da Costa, said that “the campaign will be spread over a period of six months at the Bank’s head office, in its regional and country offices and in its regional member countries.”
The campaign, she added, would include the installation of information desks, the dissemination of information, training and communication materials, the provision of fact sheets and frequently asked questions with the involvement of communities benefiting from AfDB-funded projects, civil society organisations, relevant professional bodies, contractors and government officials involved in the implementation of projects.
Finally, “the Boards of Directors of the Bank Group have committed to reviewing the new policy in 2028, after five years of implementation, taking into account evaluation reports and feedback from stakeholders.”
ID/ac/fss/as/APA