Leading anti-corruption consultant joins AfDB Board of Directors

The African Development Bank has made another set of appointments to its senior leadership in the form of two new Directors. Anti-corruption consultant Alan Bacarese is the new Director for Integrity and Anti-Corruption, while Frauke Harnischfeger is the new Director for Human Resources.

Since 2014, Alan Bacarese has been the Director at an international consultancy Stream House AG, which offers a wide range of services in the domains of governance & accountability, anti-corruption, asset recovery, anti-money-laundering and financial disclosure systems.

Bacarese has primarily been in charge of the firm’s anti-corruption and asset recovery operations with a geographical focus on Southeast Europe and the economically lucrative region of East Africa. He will now join the Board of Directors at the African Development Bank (AfDB).

In his new role, Bacarese will draw on over three decades of professional experience, which has largely centred on prosecution and anti-corruption activities. He has worked as a Senior Policy Advisor at the Crown Prosecution Service in the UK, as well as a Head of Legal at the Basel Institute on Governance in Switzerland.

He has prior experience in the developmental sector as well, having worked for over three years as an External Member of the Sanctions Committee at the Inter-American Development Bank based out of Washington DC in the US. Combining this expertise, Bacarese will act as the Director for Integrity and Anti-Corruption at the AfDB.

Commenting on his appointment, President of AfDB Akinwumi A. Adesina said, “Alan brings world class credentials to his position as Director for Integrity and Anti-Corruption. I am excited to have him on board the bank’s senior leadership team and look forward to supporting the much-needed reforms he will help implement at the bank, in order to ensure that the African Development Bank continues to promote sustainable economic development and social progress on the continent and in our Regional Member Countries." 

Bacarese’s appointment comes in addition to the appointment of Frauke Harnischfeger – a highly experienced HR executive – as the Director of Human Resources. Both appointments come months after the AfDB made five new appointments to its senior ranks, spanning the sectors of water development & sanitation, technical services and investments.