Evaluation of EXIM’s Sub-Saharan Africa Mandate

Submitting OIG:

Export-Import Bank of the United States OIG

Date Issued:

Monday, May 13, 2024

Agency Reviewed / Investigated:

Export-Import Bank

Submitting OIG-Specific Report Number:

OIG-EV-24-01

Location(s):

Agency-Wide

Type of Report:

Inspection / Evaluation

Questioned Costs:

Funds for Better Use:

Number of Recommendations:

Report updated under NDAA 5274:

Yes

View Document:

Attachment	Size
EXIM-OIGEvaluation-EXIMs-Sub-Saharan-Africa-Mandate5-13-2024.pdf	2.22 MB

Recommendation Number	Recommendation Status	Significant Recommendation
1	Open	No
EXIM's Office of the Chair should designate a lead office or officials responsible for coordinating development, oversight, and implementation of a sub-Saharan Africa specific strategy to address the Sub-Saharan Africa Mandate (hereafter referred to as the "Lead Office or Officials"). The Lead Office or Officials should have an explicit responsibility and authority to coordinate and guide the mandate's implementation across all relevant EXIM offices, liaise with external stakeholders, including but not limited to the Sub-Saharan Africa Advisory Committee (SAAC) and other U.S. Government agencies and between sub-Saharan Africa importers and U.S. exporters to rebuild relationships, establish and monitor key performance indicators, and report regularly to the Board of Directors, EXIM Chair, and SAAC.
2	Open	No
The Lead Office or Officials should develop a sub-Saharan Africa specific strategy to address the Sub-Saharan Africa Mandate. This strategy should provide a unified direction and shared vision of EXIM offices and staff and communicate EXIM’s commitments and strategy to interagency partners in the U.S. Government and other stakeholders with a focus to promote the expansion of EXIM’s financial commitments in sub-Saharan Africa.
3	Open	No
EXIM’s Office of the Chair should integrate the Sub-Saharan Africa Mandate strategy within the broader EXIM Strategic Plan to re-enforce that the Sub-Saharan Africa Mandate is central to EXIM’s overall strategic planning.
4	Open	No
The Lead Office or Officials should develop an actionable plan to enhance collaborative efforts with the Department of Commerce, the Trade Promotion Coordinating Committee (TPCC), and other relevant government agencies, such that EXIM could play a more prominent role in trade discussions and initiatives concerning sub-Saharan Africa.
5	Open	No
The Lead Office or Officials should establish effective metrics to measure EXIM’s Sub-Saharan Africa Mandate performance to inform the growth strategy (e.g., the number of U.S. exporters, lenders, and importers in sub-Saharan Africa reached, relationships established, total commitments and authorizations, and export value). The Sub-Saharan Africa Mandate performance metrics should also be incorporated within the next EXIM Annual Performance Plan.
6	Open	No
EXIM’s Office of Board Authorized Finance and Office of General Counsel should conduct a comprehensive review of the post-authorization process to identify the primary factors within the documentation phase that contribute to the lag between authorization and disbursements and devise strategies to remedy these shortcomings.
7	Open	No
EXIM’s Office of Global Business Development should devise a detailed plan to directly engage importers in sub-Saharan Africa that are not already engaging with EXIM’s sub-Saharan Africa programs. The office must ensure that the plan is incorporated as an integral part of the overarching strategy devised by the Lead Office or Officials.
8	Open	No
The Lead Office or Officials should devise a plan to directly engage U.S. businesses that are not already engaging with EXIM’s sub-Saharan Africa programs.
9	Open	No
EXIM’s Office of Policy Analysis and International Relations should conduct an analysis of the potential impacts of lowering the mandated domestic content policy for EXIM programs targeted to sub-Saharan Africa on U.S. jobs and present its findings to EXIM’s Board of Directors.

Recommendation Number

Recommendation Status

Significant Recommendation

Additional Details

Open

EXIM's Office of the Chair should designate a lead office or officials responsible for coordinating development, oversight, and implementation of a sub-Saharan Africa specific strategy to address the Sub-Saharan Africa Mandate (hereafter referred to as the "Lead Office or Officials"). The Lead Office or Officials should have an explicit responsibility and authority to coordinate and guide the mandate's implementation across all relevant EXIM offices, liaise with external stakeholders, including but not limited to the Sub-Saharan Africa Advisory Committee (SAAC) and other U.S. Government agencies and between sub-Saharan Africa importers and U.S. exporters to rebuild relationships, establish and monitor key performance indicators, and report regularly to the Board of Directors, EXIM Chair, and SAAC.

Open

The Lead Office or Officials should develop a sub-Saharan Africa specific strategy to address the Sub-Saharan Africa Mandate. This strategy should provide a unified direction and shared vision of EXIM offices and staff and communicate EXIM’s commitments and strategy to interagency partners in the U.S. Government and other stakeholders with a focus to promote the expansion of EXIM’s financial commitments in sub-Saharan Africa.

Open

EXIM’s Office of the Chair should integrate the Sub-Saharan Africa Mandate strategy within the broader EXIM Strategic Plan to re-enforce that the Sub-Saharan Africa Mandate is central to EXIM’s overall strategic planning.

Open

The Lead Office or Officials should develop an actionable plan to enhance collaborative efforts with the Department of Commerce, the Trade Promotion Coordinating Committee (TPCC), and other relevant government agencies, such that EXIM could play a more prominent role in trade discussions and initiatives concerning sub-Saharan Africa.