On May 13, 2026, in Abidjan, the President of the High Authority for Good Governance (HABG), Épiphane Zoro Bi Ballo, chaired the official handover ceremony of the Guide for Identifying Acts of Corruption and Related Offences at the institution’s headquarters in Cocody. The event was attended by the Director of the Good Governance II Project of Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ), Philipp Wiederspahn, alongside stakeholders from the criminal justice chain as well as technical and institutional partners.
Developed by the HABG with the support of GIZ, the guide serves as an operational tool aimed at strengthening the capacities of stakeholders involved in the prevention, detection, analysis, and prosecution of corruption-related offences.
In his opening remarks, Épiphane Zoro Bi Ballo emphasized that the ceremony marked “the culmination of a rigorous technical process” and reflected Côte d’Ivoire’s commitment to equipping itself with modern, coherent, and effective tools to address contemporary challenges in the fight against corruption.
In response to national and international requirements, particularly those stemming from the standards of the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) and recent evaluation processes, the HABG President stressed the importance of continuously strengthening the capacities of institutions involved in public governance and the fight against economic and financial crime.
He also noted that the document goes far beyond being a simple technical guide. According to him, it is a genuine harmonization instrument designed to foster a common understanding of corruption offences, improve the quality of investigations, and enhance the effectiveness of prosecutions.
The guide is the result of a participatory process involving magistrates, investigative services, lawyers, and both national and international experts. It was further enriched during several technical workshops held in Yamoussoukro to ensure alignment with international standards and practical field realities.
Through this initiative, the HABG and GIZ reaffirm their shared commitment to strengthening public integrity, improving interinstitutional coordination, and enhancing the effectiveness of the national anti-corruption framework.
For Épiphane Zoro Bi Ballo, this official handover above all marks the beginning of a new phase focused on the ownership and effective use of the guide by all relevant stakeholders, with the aim of consolidating the rule of law and strengthening citizens’ trust in public institutions.