Ombudsman faults EDF boss recruitment

The office of Ombudsman has faulted the recruitment of Gerald Nsomba as Export Development Fund (EDF) chief executive officer, saying it was unprocedural, irregular and breached principles of fairness.

EDF is a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Reserve Bank of Malawi (RBM) and the Ombudsman’s probe followed a complaint from concerned employees of the central bank.

Ombudsman Grace Malera has since directed EDF board to take remedial administrative action as if the recruitment of Nsomba never happened.

Presenting report findings into the alleged unprocedural and irregular recruitment of the CEO at a press briefing in Lilongwe yesterday, Malera said the former CEO, who resigned, did not meet the minimum requirement of a master’s degree in economics, finance and banking and, instead, presented a post graduate advanced diploma in international trade policy and trade law during interviews.

She said: “Mr Nsomba was placed at an undue advantage by being shortlisted in spite of his non-compliance with an express and fundamental criteria on academic qualifications. He was treated differently from the other candidates that did not make it to the shortlist on account of the fact that they had not met one or more of the requisite criteria, such as ‘lack of a master’s degree’. This led to unfairness and resulted in maladministration.”

The inquiry learnt that an offer that the board termed a ‘Re-Offer’ was made on May 7 2020, to Nsomba, and this was on the basis of advertisements and interviews that were carried out in February 2017.

The findings further show that EDF does not have a comprehensive policy or guideline on recruitment of staff, save for a provision in the institution’s human resource manual which states that the board shall have a final say on the recruitment of the management team.

Malera also indicated that bias and favouritism towards Nsomba by key persons that were involved in or connected with his recruitment process cannot be ruled out.

She observed that the conduct of former RBM governor, the late Charles Chuka, and Nsomba was improper as it introduced arbitrariness and unfairness in Nsomba’s recruitment process.

“The Board of EDF demonstrated a failure of duty in not querying the propriety of the proposal or decision by the shareholder on the job re-offer to Mr. Nsomba and not dealing with the matter decisively thereby compromising on their oversight role and responsibility,” said Malera.

In an interview yesterday, EDF board chairperson Neil Nyirongo, who attended the briefing, said the board has taken full recognition of all the recommendations by the Ombudsman.

Said Nyirongo: “We are requesting for a specific cut out of the recommendations so that we can follow item by item because all the recommendations make sense, for the good and prosperity of the institution and the nation at large.”

Among others, the Ombudsman has directed the board to ensure that good administrative principles of recruitment are put in place and are strictly adhered to, including putting in place a clear recruitment policy which will guide how recruitments are to be carried out within the institution.

RBM, as the shareholder has also been directed to ensure strict compliance with the terms of the EDF’s Memorandum and Articles of Association.