The Board of Trustees of the West Africa Rice Development Association (WARDA) held its regular meeting during the period 22–26 April 2002 to deliberate on routine matters. In addition, the Board considered the Forensic Audit Report from an audit commissioned by the Board and mandated by the WARDA Council of Ministers following anonymous allegations made against WARDA and its Director General to the World Bank and the subsequent report of the Bank’s own investigation.

Following an intensive two-month investigation, HLB Groupe France Audit has found no case or evidence of fraud or corruption by WARDA’s Director General (DG) or Management.

Professor Norman Lindsay Innes, Chairman of the Board of Trustees, today expressed his enormous satisfaction with the positive findings. He said, "We never had any doubts about the way business is conducted at WARDA, but matters of this nature are always sensitive, no matter how ridiculous the charges."

Professor Innes congratulated and thanked Director General Kanayo F. Nwanze, and Mr George Maina, Head of Finance, and all of their staff, for their painstaking assistance to the international independent auditors. The Board of Trustees stated that completion of the audit empowers WARDA scientists and Management to proceed with great confidence, pride and energy to serve the farmers and consumers of West and Central Africa.

The Board would like to take this opportunity, belated as it may appear, to express its regrets to the Director General for the delay in officially protesting against the manner in which the investigation was carried out, particularly the manner in which the World Bank investigation handled the Director General and the Board in general. Following the Forensic Audit Report, the Board once again—as it did in its response to the INTIU Report—confirms its confidence in the Director General and WARDA Management in general, and hopes that from now on there should be no doubt whatsoever about the strength and important role that WARDA is playing in the region. Now that these investigations are complete and have given WARDA a clean bill of health, the Board urges everyone at WARDA, both Management and staff, to redouble their efforts in making the Center achieve greater heights. Major achievements have been made in the recent past—for example, the development of the New Rices for Africa (NERICAs), the 2000 CGIAR King Baudouin Award, the decoration of the Director General and staff by the Ivorian Government, and the launching of the African Rice Initiative (ARI)—and WARDA has a vital role to play in the upgrading of rice-based agriculture in the region in the coming years.