Purpose
The Africa Women’s Development Fund (AWDF) acting through its Board of Directors is
committed to ensuring that financial and material resources mobilised in the name of African
Women are put to the service of Africa Women and not diverted to serve personal or material
interests. To this end, we have put in place systems and structures to prevent, detect and
investigate fraud, corruption, misconduct and malpractice.
This statement encourages staff and other partners to raise concerns about possible fraudulent
or corrupt bahaviour rather than overlook them for fear of retaliation. Whistleblowing, will
enable the organisations to promptly investigate allegations and take appropriate corrective
action to address incidents that might otherwise be undetected. No person who acts in good
faith and whistleblows shall suffer harassment, retaliation or any adverse consequences.
Employees can report suspected fraud, corruption or misconduct;
Ø directly to their supervisors
Ø to the CEO
Ø To the Chair of the board
Alternately, to facilitate reporting of suspected violations, where the reporter wishes to remain
anonymous, a written statement may be submitted to:
Physical address: AWDF House, Justice Sarkodie Addo Avenue East Legon, Accra, Ghana.
Consultants, grantee partners and any other external person who wishes to report any
suspected cases of fraud, corruption or malpractice or any inappropriate activity directly,
anonymously, confidentially or otherwise should report through the following channels;
Email: integrity@awdf.org
Telephone: +233 242700881
Postal Address: PMB CT89, Cantonments, Accra, Ghana
Physical address: AWDF House, Justice Sarkodie Addo Avenue East Legon Accra Ghana
Who is a Whistleblower?
A person who is either an employee, consultant, volunteer or any person who informs a
supervisor or the chief executive or a Board member about an activity relating to AWDF which
that person believes to be fraudulent or contrary to AWDF’s values, principles or mission.
What is Whistleblowing?
Whistleblowing refers to the process of disclosing suspected incidents of fraud, corruption,
malpractice or misconduct, (whether financial or ethical), as well as illegal acts or omissions by
AWDF staff or AWDF’s external partners, including grantees, consultants or service providers.
What is fraudulent or dishonest conduct?
A deliberate act or failure to act with the intention of obtaining an unauthorized benefit.
Examples of such conduct include;
- Repeated ill treatment of a staff member/organisational partner despite a complaint being
made - A criminal offence has been committed, is being committed or is likely to be committed
- Suspected fraud
- Disregard for legislation, particularly in relation to health and safety at work
- Breach of the organisation’s financial administration policies
- Showing undue favour over a contractual matter or to a job applicant
- A breach of the organisation’s code of conduct
- Forgery or alteration of documents
- Unauthorised alteration or manipulation of computer files to conceal information
- Fraudulent financial reporting
- Pursuit of a benefit or advantage in violation of AWDF’s Conflict-of-Interest Policy
- Misappropriation or misuse of AWDF’s resources, such as funds, supplies, or other assets
- Authorising or receiving compensation for goods not received or services not performed
- Authorising or receiving compensation for hours not worked
- Using remarks or actions of a sexual nature that are not welcome and are likely to be
viewed as personally offensive, including sexual flirtations; unwelcome physical or verbal
advances; sexual propositions; verbal abuse of a sexual nature; the display of sexually
suggestive objects, cartoons, or pictures; and physical contact of a sexual or particularly
personal nature. - Using slurs, negative stereotyping, and threatening, intimidating, or hostile acts that relate
to race, colour, religion, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, national origin, age, or
disability - Circulating or posting written or graphic material in the workplace that denigrates or shows
hostility or aversion toward an individual or group because of race, colour, religion, gender,
nationality, age, or disability - Discriminating against an employee or potential employee due to a person’s race, colour,
religion, sex, sexual orientation, national origin, age, physical or mental impairment - Facilitating or concealing any of the above or similar actions
Who can Whistleblow?
Staff, board members, consultants, volunteers, grantees and the general public are encouraged
to report suspected fraudulent or dishonest conduct (i.e., to act as “whistleblower”, pursuant
to the procedures set forth below.
How do I Whistleblow?
You can Whistleblow in writing or orally, by telephone, email, letter or in person.
To whom Should I Whistleblow?
A person’s concerns about possible fraudulent or dishonest use or misuse of resources or
property should be reported through the following channels. Alternately, to facilitate reporting
of suspected violations where the reporter wishes to remain anonymous, a written statement
may be submitted to one of the following reporting channels.
Email: integrity@awdf.org
Telephone: +233242700881
Postal Address: PMB CT 89, Cantonments Accra, Ghana
Physical address: AWDF House, Justice Sarkodie Addo Avenue, East Legon Accra, Ghana
Internally, staff members should report suspected cases of fraud to their supervisor or, if
suspected by a volunteer, to the staff member supporting the volunteer’s work. If, for any
reason, a person finds it difficult to report her or his concerns to a supervisor or staff member
supporting the volunteer’s work, the person may report the concerns directly to the Chief
Executive Officer.
Do I Have a right to Whistleblow?
As an employee, you have the right to report suspected fraudulent or dishonest behaviour in
the organisation.
Supervisors are required to report suspected fraudulent or dishonest conduct to the Chief
Executive Officer, except in cases involving the CEO, in which case the report should go to the
board. Reasonable care should be taken in dealing with suspected misconduct to avoid;
- Baseless allegations
- Premature notice to persons suspected of misconduct and/or disclosure of suspected
misconduct to others not involved with the investigation - Violations of a person’s rights under law
Due to the important yet sensitive nature of the suspected violations, effective professional
follow-up is critical. Supervisors, while appropriately concerned about “getting to the bottom”
of such issues, should not in any circumstances perform any investigative or other follow-up
steps on their own. Accordingly, a supervisor who becomes aware of suspected misconduct - Should not contact the person suspected to further investigate the matter or demand
restitution - Should not discuss the case with attorneys, the media, or anyone other than the chief
executive - Should not report the case to an authorised law enforcement officer without first discussing
the case with the Chief Executive Officer or the board.
What should the report include?
Employees and others may communicate suspected cases of fraud, corruption or malpractice or
other wrongdoing or alleged retaliation by contacting AWDF. If you wish to remain anonymous,
it is not necessary that you give your name or position in any notification.
Whether or not you identify yourself, for a proper investigation to be conducted, please
provide AWDF with as much information as you can, sufficient to do a proper investigation,
including where and when the incident occurred, names and titles of the individuals involved,
and as much other detail as you can provide.
What principles apply when dealing with such cases?
- All reports are to be taken seriously
- All reports are dealt with immediately
- The Whistleblower may choose to remain anonymous
- Anonymous sources can be as valuable as open sources
- The various methods of whistleblowing are to be given equal weight
- Reports are to be dealt with confidentially
- The whistle blower should be given feedback within reasonable time unless he or she
choose to remain anonymous
Will I get feedback?
The compliance officer will notify the sender and acknowledge receipt of the reported violation
or suspected violation within 5 business days.
Who Deals with the report and what is the procedure?
All reports will be promptly investigated and appropriate corrective action will be taken if
warranted by the investigation.
Will I put myself at risk?
No director, officer, or employee who in good faith reports a violation of the Code, financial or
illegal malpractices shall suffer harassment, retaliation, or adverse employment consequence.
An employee who retaliates against someone who has reported a violation in good faith is
subject to discipline up to and including termination of employment. This Whistleblower
statement is intended to encourage and enable employees and others to raise serious concerns
within the organization prior to seeking resolution outside the organisation.
How about the person who has been reported?
All persons’ who have been reported will be made aware of the allegations against them and
given the opportunity to also present their version of the issue at stake. After the investigations
are concluded the person who has been reported will be informed immediately regardless of
the outcome.
Dated Nov 2019