African Development Bank sanctions and debarment explained

Q: Can an AfDB debarment be appealed?

Yes, to the Sanctions Appeals Board within 60 days. There is no further appeal after that Board decides.

Q: Does the AfDB enforce World Bank debarments?

It may, under the 2010 agreement. Its debarred list shows rows marked "CROSS DEBARMENT : WBG".

Last checked: 23 October 2026 · How resolutions work

The African Development Bank Group runs a two-tier administrative sanctions system adopted by its Board on 5 July 2012 ². Its integrity office investigates and reports to the Sanctions Commissioner, who makes a first decision ^2,3. A party may appeal to the Sanctions Appeals Board within 60 days ¹. "There is no further appeal" from that Board ². Sanctions include reprimands, debarment and restitution ². Baseline is debarment with conditional release ¹. Cases can settle before a final decision ¹.

Governing rules: Sanctions Procedures of the African Development Bank Group, 2023 Edition ^1,7
System adopted: By the Executive Board of Directors on 5 July 2012 ²
Investigator: Integrity and Anti-Corruption Department (IACD) on the AfDB sanctions page ². Office of Integrity and Anti-Corruption (PIAC) on the integrity page and in the 2023 procedures ^1,3
First tier: Sanctions Commissioner, Office of the Sanctions Commissioner (SNSO) ^1,4
Second tier: Sanctions Appeals Board ^1,2
Sanctionable practices: Corrupt, fraudulent, collusive, coercive or obstructive practice ¹
Time to appeal: 60 days ¹
Standard of proof: "More likely than not" ¹
Baseline sanction: Debarment with conditional release ¹
Public list: List of debarred entities on the AfDB debarment and sanctions procedures page ⁵

Who does what

The AfDB integrity office has a mandate to "carry out independent investigations into allegations of corruption, fraud and other sanctionable practices" in Bank Group-financed operations ³. The integrity page says it was set up in November 2005, became operational in June 2006 and was restructured by the Board on 5 July 2012 ³. It says "The Office does not make sanction decisions" ³.

AfDB pages use two names for this body. The sanctions page calls it the Integrity and Anti-Corruption Department (IACD) ². The integrity page and the 2023 Sanctions Procedures call it the Office of Integrity and Anti-Corruption, with the postal acronym PIAC ^1,3.

The Sanctions Office, or Office of the Sanctions Commissioner (SNSO), "is the first level of adjudication" and was set up in 2012 ⁴. Under the 2023 procedures the Sanctions Commissioner "has the mandate to make decisions on allegations of Sanctionable Practices" ¹. The Sanctions Appeals Board "receives and determines appeals against Sanctions Decisions made by the Sanctions Commissioner" ¹.

Steps in a case

Investigation: the integrity office receives allegations, investigates and "forwards its report to the relevant authority" ³. Cases on operations go to the Sanctions Commissioner. Staff cases go to Human Resources ³.
Temporary suspension: where continued eligibility would cause "imminent financial or reputational harm to the Bank Group", a suspension may be sought. It runs for 12 months, and the respondent may object within 40 days ¹.
First decision: the Sanctions Commissioner "makes an initial determination and, where applicable, a sanction decision" ².
Appeal: the respondent may appeal to the Sanctions Appeals Board within 60 days ¹. The procedures use "receipt of the decision" in Section 8.1 and "notification of the Sanctions Decision" in Section 7.4 ¹.
Final: "There is no further appeal from the decision of the Sanctions Appeals Board" ².
Standard of proof: a finding requires that it "is more likely than not that the Respondent has engaged in a Sanctionable Practice" ¹.

Types of sanction

The AfDB sanctions page says "Sanctions include reprimands, debarment, restitution, etc." ². It defines debarment as "a decision to declare an entity ineligible to bid or be awarded future contracts" ². Section 10.2 of the 2023 procedures lists the full range ¹.

Sanction in Section 10.2	Note
Letter of reprimand ¹	Not publicly disclosed under Section 14.2 ¹
Conditional non-debarment ¹	Listed in Section 10.2 ¹
Debarment ¹	Ineligibility to bid or be awarded future contracts ²
Debarment with conditional release ¹	"the baseline sanction that should be applied except where justifications exist" ¹
Permanent or indefinite debarment ¹	Listed in Section 10.2 ¹
Restitution or remedy, and other sanctions ¹	Listed in Section 10.2 ¹

Settlements

Section 16.1 of the 2023 procedures allows settlement "At any time but prior to the issuance of a Final Decision" ¹. Requests for a stay of proceedings to negotiate "shall be granted as a matter of course" ¹. The Sanctions Commissioner checks a settlement for "fairness, transparency, and credibility" before clearing it ¹. A settlement summary "shall be published on the Bank Group's website along with the name of the Respondent(s) concerned" ¹.

An example: on 23 December 2021 the AfDB said Weihai Construction Group, registered in China, would be debarred for 35 months from 19 November 2021 ⁶. The release referred to "the conclusion of a negotiated settlement agreement" and said an investigation by the Office of Integrity and Anti-Corruption had established fraudulent practices in three projects in Kenya ⁶. It said the firm could take part in Bank Group projects after the debarment only if it put in place an integrity compliance program in line with Bank Group guidelines ⁶. It said the debarment qualified for cross-debarment by the other development banks in the 2010 agreement ⁶. A negotiated settlement is not a decision by the Sanctions Appeals Board.

Debarments from other banks

Under Section 15.1 of the procedures, debarments under the 2010 mutual enforcement agreement "may be enforced by the Bank Group or any of the Participating Institutions" ¹. The AfDB sanctions page says the Bank "may debar an entity found to have participated in certain sanctionable practices by another multilateral bank" under the Agreement for Mutual Enforcement of Debarment Decisions ².

The AfDB list of debarred entities includes firms and individuals "sanctioned by the African Development Bank Group or by signatories" to that agreement ⁵. Its Basis column marks each row, for example "DEBARMENT:AFDB" or "CROSS DEBARMENT : WBG" ⁵. When checked for this page, the latest rows were dated September 2026 ⁵.

Where to read the rules

The Sanctions Office's key and reference documents page links the 2023 Sanctions Procedures, the Charter of the Sanctions Office, the Guidelines for the Disclosure of Sanctions, the AfDB Integrity Compliance Guidelines and the 2010 cross-debarment agreement ⁷. The list of debarred entities and the procedures in English and French sit on the debarment and sanctions procedures page ⁵. The integrity page carries the complaint form and the whistleblowing policy ³.

Common questions

Can an AfDB debarment be appealed?

Yes, to the Sanctions Appeals Board within 60 days ¹. There is no further appeal after that Board decides ².

Does the AfDB investigate and decide in the same office?

No. The integrity office investigates and "does not make sanction decisions" ³. The Sanctions Commissioner decides ².

Does the AfDB publish settlements?

The 2023 procedures say a settlement summary is published on the Bank Group website with the respondent's name ¹.

Does the AfDB enforce World Bank debarments?

It may, under the 2010 agreement ^1,2. Its debarred list shows rows marked "CROSS DEBARMENT : WBG" ⁵.

Rules and fees change. Check the official site linked above before you apply or pay. Spotted an error? Email [email protected] with the official link.

Sources

World Bank sanctions and debarment explained
How the World Bank investigates, debars and settles with firms over fraud and corruption in Bank-financed projects, from INT to the Sanctions Board.
Cross-debarment among multilateral development banks explained
How a debarment by the World Bank, AfDB, ADB, EBRD or IDB can be enforced by the others under the 2010 mutual enforcement agreement, and its limits.
What a government settlement means
What civil settlements, DPAs, NPAs, plea agreements and SEC orders say about admission of liability or guilt, with the rules that govern each.
World Bank debarment of SNC-Lavalin Inc. over the Padma Bridge project (2013)
On 17 April 2013 the World Bank debarred SNC-Lavalin Inc. and over 100 affiliates for 10 years under a negotiated resolution over the Padma Bridge project.