BANK
AFRICA – African Development Bank adopts new policy to denounce abuses
Bank contractors, consultants and suppliers subject to sanctions under new whistle-blowing policy
On 25 April, the African Development Bank Group launched a six-month campaign to raise awareness among its internal and external stakeholders of its new whistleblowing policy, approved by the Boards of Directors on 19 January. This is based on the Bank Group’s 2007 Whistleblowing and Complaint Handling Policy, which, at the time, was considered to be one of the most progressive policies that expresses the importance that the institution attaches to the contributions of whistleblowers to its anti-corruption processes and its zero tolerance for any retaliatory measures against them. counter.
The new whistle-blowing policy sets additional standards: board members and elected representatives of the bank now fall under the disciplinary scope of the policy, where it appears that they have threatened or participated in reprisals against a party, internal or external, that has reported fraud and corruption in the bank’s operations, or participated in audits, investigations and disciplinary processes. Strengthening its ability to protect external whistleblowers, the new policy classifies reprisals by external actors in the context of operations financed by the Bank Group as obstruction practices, subject to exclusion in the Bank Group’s sanctions system. The new policy ensures that the Bank Group will continue to protect natural or legal persons who disclose in good faith cases of fraud or corruption, who refuse to break the law by making public disclosures, who challenge national or international illegality, as well as abuse of power, mismanagement, blatant waste or serious threats to health or safety; who are wrongly identified as whistleblowers; which includes Bank Group staff and consultants, individuals, development partners, non-governmental organizations, professional organizations, government officials and officials from other international financial organizations; and employees of suppliers and contractors involved in projects funded by the Bank Group, by making the guarantee of whistleblower rights by employers a contractual clause.
The new whistle-blowing policy also ensures due process by providing temporary assistance to victims of reprisals pending the final resolution of their complaint, protects the rights of those who seek protection from reprisal by whistle-blowers, so that they may have recourse against decisions taken by the bank, Preserves the anonymity of whistleblowers by maintaining the confidentiality of its procedures, protects the right of whistleblowers to be informed of the progress of their requests.
The Bank Group Boards of Directors have committed to re-examine the new policy in 2028, after five years of implementation, taking into account evaluation reports and stakeholder feedback.
In 2007, the US-based Government Accountability Project (GAP), reviewed the bank’s whistleblowing policy and indicated that the Bank Group was the first multilateral development bank to substantially comply with the whistleblower transparency reforms, that US Senators Patrick Leahy (elected Democrat of Vermont) and Richard Lugar (elected Republican of Indiana) drafted and ratified in an American finance law in October 2005. The 2007 policy establishes “a new standard to protect staff and others from potential reprisals when they report fraud or corruption [with] a guarantee of the employment of successful whistle-blowers and reprisals”, according to the GAP.
Six months of whistleblowing awareness campaign 2023
Speaking at the launch of the whistle-blowing campaign at the bank’s headquarters in Abidjan on 25 April, the Director of the Bank Group’s Integrity and Anti-Corruption Office, Paula Santos-Da Costa, said: “the campaign will be spread over a period of six months at the bank’s headquarters, in its regional and national offices and in its regional member countries.” Ms Santos-Da Costa, the bank’s designated whistleblower protection officer, said the campaign would be carried out through various activities, such as setting up information offices, disseminating information materials, training and communication, fact sheets and FAQs. The beneficiary communities of projects financed by the African Development Bank will also be involved, as well as civil society organisations, relevant professional bodies, contractors and officials involved in the implementation of projects.
The Director of the Integrity and Anti-Corruption Office also said that an internal directive had been developed and published to “ensure the strategic and effective implementation of the 2023 whistleblowing policy.”
The Integrity and Anti-Corruption Office of the African Development Bank Group is responsible for preventing and deterring acts of corruption, fraud and all practices liable to sanctions in operations financed by the Bank Group and to investigate allegations in this regard. He is also responsible for coordinating the implementation of the Bank Group’s whistleblowing policy and maintaining the whistleblower complaint channels.
BANK
SENEGAL – 511.3 billion CFA francs in savings and 677 billion CFA francs in loans granted in 2022 in microfinance
The Senegalese Minister of Microfinance and Social and Solidarity Economy chaired, this Thursday, July 27, 2023, the 27th meeting of the National Committee for the Coordination of Microfinance Activities. Victorine Ndeye reported that microfinance affects 22% of the population with 511, 3 billion CFA francs in savings and 677, billion CFA francs in loans granted in 2022.
The 27th edition of the National Coordination Committee for Microfinance Activities was held on Friday.
According to the Minister of Microfinance and Social and Solidarity Economy, Victorine Ndeye, microfinance plays a crucial role in financial inclusion by providing accessible financial services to low-income populations and small entrepreneurs. It is a powerful tool to reduce poverty, create jobs, support local entrepreneurship and promote the economic empowerment of women and youth,” she says. “In 2022, microfinance expanded with a total of 296 institutions with 995 points of service across the country. Today 4,034,538 accounts remain active and Microfinance reaches 22% of the population, with 511.3 billion in savings and 617.3 billion in loans granted”. The minister indicates that his department is aware that we must reinvent to meet the new requirements and needs of a more vulnerable population in times of major crises that our country is going through in the face of exogenous shocks related to the Covid pandemic 19 and the Ukrainian crisis. “We intend to strengthen the synergy of microfinance actors, the government, technical and financial partners and microfinance institutions to meet the challenges we face. We must continue to promote financial stability, inclusion and transparency in the sector, but we must also address universal access to financial services through a better perception of the sector,’ she said. In his view, this requires a target-based approach, better risk management and strong governance. We also need to encourage innovation in the microfinance sector. Emerging financial technologies, such as mobile banking, innovative financing and our proven savings and credit models, offer real opportunities to expand access to financial services,’ she says. It is their responsibility to ensure that these innovations benefit everyone, including the most vulnerable and the most remote. ‘ We will continue to work towards a favourable regulatory environment that encourages investment, diversification of offerings and the expansion of microfinance institutions,’ she says.
Economic activity in WAEMU remained buoyant in the first quarter of 2023, with a 5.4% increase in GDP over one year, after 5.3% in the previous quarter.
According to the information provided by BCEAO, the business climate indicator, which synthesizes the views of business leaders, remained above its long-term trend at 101.1 percentage points. This development reflects the continuing confidence of business managers in the favourable economic outlook. The growth gain, which is an indication of the minimum level of growth that would be achieved by the end of the year, is estimated at 3.4% in the first quarter of 2023,” the BCEAO informs.
The growth of Gdp in volume terms in the Union is the result of the continued good orientation of economic activity, particularly in the secondary and tertiary sectors. The contribution of the secondary sector increased from 0.6 percentage points (pdp) in Q4 2022 to 0.7 PDP in the quarter under review.
The contribution to growth in the tertiary sector was 3.4 pdp in the first quarter of 2023 compared to 3.3 pdp in the previous quarter. In contrast, the primary sector contribution edged down to 1.3 PDP in Q1 2023 from 1.4 PDP in Q4 2022.
On Friday, July 07, 2023, the regional stock exchange posted a record CFA 2.232 billion in quotations. The value of these transactions amounted to CFAF 2.232 billion compared to CFAF 1.867 billion the day before. Previously, the market recorded transactions of CFAF 1.701 billion on Wednesday, July 5, 2023. In total, during the last three trading sessions, investors have shown a real enthusiasm for the securities of both compartments with an average of 1.933 billion traded value.
At the origin of the strong transactions of the meeting of July 7, 2023, there is a value traded at the level of the bond compartment of FCFA 1.751 billion. The investors’ interest was particularly focused on the TPCI 5.90% 2016-2026 bond with the purchase of 149,671 securities during 9,600 FCFA, for a total value of 1.436 billion FCFA.
The market capitalization of the equity market exceeded the 7500 billion mark, with a realisation of CFAF 7532.519 billion against CFAF 7487.805 billion on 6 July 2023, an increase of CFAF 44.714 billion.
The bond market was also up by 19.695 billion, to 10159.467 billion FCFA compared with 10139.772 billion FCFA the day before. The clues are all improving. Thus, the composite index rose by 0.60% to 202.47 points from 201.27 points the day before.
The BRVM 30 index also rose by 0.65% to 101.63 points from 100.97 points the day before. The biggest increase was recorded by the BRVM Prestige index with 1.38% at 102.37 points compared to 100.98 points the day before.
The Top 5 of the largest price increases are held by ETI Togo (plus 5.88% to 18 FCFA), Total Côte d’Ivoire (plus 4.63% to 2,260 FCFA), Compagnie Ivoirienne d’électricité Côte d’Ivoire (plus 2.33% to 2,200 FCFA), Orange Côte d’Ivoire (plus 0.92% to 9,890 FCFA) and BOA Burkina Faso (plus 0.74% to 6,095 FCFA).
As for the Flop 5 of the largest price declines, it is occupied by the securities BOA Mali (minus 3.57% to 1,350 FCFA), Sucrivoire Côte d’Ivoire (minus 2.80% to 520 FCFA) Oragroup Togo (minus 1.67% to 2,650 FCFA), Vivo Energy Côte d’Ivoire (minus 1.30% to 760 FCFA) and SAFCA Côte d’Ivoire (minus 1.30% to 760 FCFA).
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