GenKey banned from World Bank projects for 18 months over documentation failure

The World Bank has censured GenKey over a disclosure failure related to its involvement in Liberia’s social safety net project in 2017. The penalty is an 18-month debarment with conditional release.

Commissions that were “paid or to be paid to an agent in connection with a contract under the project” were not disclosed, the World Bank found. The failing is attributed to GenKey’s inadequate internal controls and supervision, and is considered “a fraudulent practice” under World Bank Guidelines.

GenKey is ineligible to participate in projects financed by the World Bank Group for the duration of the debarment.

The company has acknowledged responsibility for the practice, as part of a settlement agreement. That agreement also acknowledges GenKey’s compliance program and co-operation, leading to a reduced period of debarment. GenKey has also committed “to developing and implementing integrity compliance measures” as a condition for re-admittance to good standing.

GenKey is the supplier of biometric voter registration software and hardware for the Central African Republic’s elections scheduled December.

Liberia’s social safety net

Liberia’s social safety net project was created to deliver income support to people facing poverty and food insecurity. It involved the creation of a social registry with biometric data to “decrease the chances of duplication across and within programs,” according to a 2016 World Bank document on a proposal to grant $10 million in credit for the project. Ultimately, the World Bank committed just over $17 million towards the total project cost of $18.9 million.

GenKey bid on a contract to provide software and data collection technology, which was won by Ghana’s Esoko Limited in 2019.

The project was ultimately deemed successful by an independent evaluation group, registering 267,517 households in 6 of Liberia’s 15 counties, and 88 percent of payment deliveries were considered timely.

Article Topics

biometrics  |  digital identity  |  GenKey  |  Liberia  |  World Bank