WASHINGTON, August 19, 2020 — The World Bank Group today announced the 15-month debarment of an individual consultant in connection with a fraudulent practice as part of the Agricultural Technology and Agribusiness Advisory Services Project in Uganda.
The debarment makes Ms. Josephine Namaganda, a Ugandan national, 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 individual acknowledges responsibility for the underlying sanctionable practice and agrees to meet specified corporate compliance conditions as a condition for release from debarment.
The project was designed to increase agricultural productivity and incomes of participating households by improving the performance of agricultural research and advisory service systems in Uganda. According to the facts of the case, as an individual consultant, Ms. Namaganda misrepresented her accounting qualifications through false certificates to meet the requirements for a World Bank-financed tender, which is a fraudulent practice.
The settlement agreement provides for a reduced period of debarment in light of Ms. Namaganda’s cooperation and voluntary remedial actions. As a condition for release from sanction under the terms of the settlement agreement, Ms. Namaganda commits to undertake ethics trainings consistent with the principles set out in the World Bank Group Integrity Compliance Guidelines. She also commits to continue to fully cooperate with the World Bank Group Integrity Vice Presidency.
The debarment of Ms. Namaganda qualifies for cross-debarment by other multilateral development banks (MDBs) under the Agreement for Mutual Enforcement of Debarment Decisions that was signed on April 9, 2010.
