September 11, 2018/AfDB

The African Development Bank Group on September 10, 2018, announced the debarment of the Centre Africain de Recherches Forestières Appliquées et de Développement (CARFAD), a consulting company based in Yaoundé, Cameroon, and its Executive Director, Benjamin Tchoffo for a minimum period of 36 months.

An investigation conducted by the Bank’s Office of Integrity and Anti-Corruption established that CARFAD and Mr. TCHOFFO engaged in an obstructive practice by materially impeding the exercise of the Bank’s inspection and audit rights.

Previously, CARFAD had been awarded a consultancy contract in the context of the Agro-Forestry Development Support Project in the Democratic Republic of Congo. The Agro-Forestry Development Support Project was financed under the Congo Basin Forest Fund hosted by the Bank.

The debarment renders CARFAD and Mr. TCHOFFO ineligible to participate in Bank-financed projects during the debarment period.