By Sodeinde Temidayo David
The World Bank has banned a Kenyan consultancy firm, Africa Development Professional Group (ADP), for alleged engagement in corrupt and fraudulent practices.
According to the World Bank, the firm, which provides consultancy and advisory services with specialization in public sector reforms, has been a suspect of fraud in several multi-million shilling projects for top government agencies.
This followed an investigation conducted by the World Bank’s corruption-fighting unit, which reported that ADP is suspected to have engaged in fraudulent practices during a bank-funded project in Somalia.
This had led to the blacklisting of the consultancy firm, and its affiliates, together with any organisation they manage directly or indirectly control for 21 months.
“The debarment makes ADP ineligible to participate in projects and operations financed by institutions of the World Bank Group.
“It is part of a settlement agreement under which the company acknowledges responsibility for the underlying sanctionable practices and agrees to meet specified corporate compliance conditions as a condition for release from debarment,” the World Bank noted in a statement.
According to the bank, the affected project was designed to strengthen the staffing and institutional capacity of selected line ministries and central agencies to perform core government functions.
By this resolution, and under the agreement for mutual enforcement of debarment decisions, ADP is prohibited from doing businesses with the Asian Development Bank (ADB), the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), the Inter-American Development (IAD), and the African Development Bank (AfDB) for a specific a period of 21 months.
The bank noted that the pact aligns with the resolution of the five international financial institutions which are mostly owned and financed by governments.
Dipo Olowookere 
Adedapo Adesanya