By: Yumoha Pasha
DJIBOUTI – Somalilandsun – The Inspectorate General of Djibouti hosted on 15 and 16 April the 3rd Meeting of the Steering Committee of the State Inspectorate Generals of Africa (FIGE) alongside a related conference “Challenges for Africa: The Fight against Corruption and International Cooperation on Asset Recovery.”
The Djibouti meeting was the 3rd meeting of the Steering Committee and was attended by delegations from eight African countries (Djibouti, Senegal, Ivory Coast, Angola, Mauritania, Benin, Cameroon and the Democratic Republic of Congo).
At the sidelines of the meeting, the Republic of Djibouti also hosted the conference “Challenges for Africa: The Fight against Corruption and International Cooperation on Asset Recovery.” The conference was initiated by the President of Djibouti to strengthen good governance and transparency in the public sector.
The conference convened international experts and institutions to discuss and share international best practices in the fight against corruption and the legal means provided by international law for the recovery of assets. Hassan Issa Sultan, Inspector General of Djibouti, presented case studies of the country’s international efforts to recover stolen assets including the one of the Djibouti Port which has resulted in the freezing of over €23 million in assets by the French courts.
This conference comes at a time when the international community has elevated concerns around the use of tax havens and other tax evasion and vehicles. For Africa, the situation is even more critical with the presence of large-scale public sector projects and pressing societal need for development funds.
Inspector General Sultan said: “Djibouti is proud to host this important gathering of Africans leading the fight against corruption in the public sector. International efforts around asset recovery have received worldwide attention of late and this forum has provided a valuable opportunity to share best practices across the continent.”
The FIGE was established in Djibouti in February 2006 at the initiative of the Inspector General of Djibouti, also home to its headquarters. It now includes 21 institutions across Africa dedicated to fight against corruption. The forum was established to:
• Facilitate dialogue and consultative meetings between representatives of Africa’s Inspectorate Generals;
• Discuss common challenges around the auditing, training, investigations and administration of Inspectorate Generals;
• Promote dialogue and cooperation with other institutions or bodies in accordance with the principles of good governance and transparency
