The African Development Bank organized a training session in Tunis for project implementation units involved in Bank-financed operations in Tunisia, aiming to strengthen skills in integrity and anti-corruption practices. Held on 16 September 2025 alongside a Proactive Integrity Review mission, the session was led by the Bank Group’s Integrity and Anti-Corruption Department (PIAC) and supported by Tunisia’s Ministry of Economy and Planning.
The training equipped project managers to anticipate and manage integrity-related risks, deepened their understanding of the Bank’s Integrity Framework, and promoted a culture of transparency and accountability in Bank-funded projects. PIAC staff, including Nadia Saadi-Matoussi, Bouraoui Jaouadi, and Yahya Ceesay, facilitated the sessions and guided participants through practical approaches to uphold integrity in project management.
Tarek Bouhlel, Director General for African Cooperation at the Ministry of Economy and Planning, highlighted that such training contributes to improved governance of Bank-financed projects in Tunisia. The sessions covered key topics such as integrity risk assessment, due diligence of counterparties, whistleblowing, complaint-handling procedures, investigative mechanisms, and sanctionable practices including fraud, corruption, collusion, coercion, and obstruction, along with their operational, legal, and reputational consequences.
Bernice Savy, Principal Economist representing the Bank’s Deputy Director General for North Africa, commended participants for their dedication to good governance and expressed the hope that they would become first guarantors of integrity and efficiency in the Bank’s operations. Training facilitator Nadia Saadi-Matoussi emphasized that all mobilized resources must contribute effectively to the economic and social development of regional member countries, reaffirming the Bank’s zero-tolerance policy toward fraud and corruption. By providing project managers with the tools to prevent risks and act transparently, the Bank aims to foster sustainable and inclusive outcomes in its operations.
