Inspection of Embassy Niamey, Niger

Embassy Niamey should schedule regular foreign assistance working group meetings of Washington, regional, global, and mission agencies to review ongoing assistance programs and activities.

Embassy Niamey, in coordination the Office of Management Policy, Rightsizing, and Innovation, should require U.S. Africa Command to identify and submit National Security Decision Directive 38 requests for all Department of Defense temporary duty positions that should be converted to permanent positions and deny country clearances to incoming temporary duty personnel identified to fill those positions.

Embassy Niamey should develop and implement a plan with specific milestones to transfer responsibility for administrative support services for personnel under the authority of the combatant commander to the Department of Defense.

Embassy Niamey should withhold approval for future Federal Bureau of Investigation requests to send temporary duty attachés to Niamey until the Federal Bureau of Investigation submits a request to establish the position as permanent.

The Bureau of African Affairs, in coordination with the U.S. Office of Foreign Assistance and Embassy Niamey, should identify the total amount of foreign assistance programs and funding managed by Embassy Niamey

Embassy Niamey should designate and train primary and backup coordinators for the Leahy vetting program.

The Bureau of African Affairs, in coordination with the Bureau of Overseas Buildings Operations and Embassy Niamey, should identify funding and space to move the public affairs section onto the embassy compound.

Embassy Niamey should designate the Information Resource Center director as grants officer representative for all American Corners grants.

Embassy Niamey should implement procedures to comply with grants directives the Department’s Federal Assistance Division publishes.

Embassy Niamey should conduct regular liaison activities with Department of Defense personnel and develop joint standard operating procedures for dealing with crises.

The Bureau of Consular Affairs should expedite Embassy Niamey’s approval for enrollment into the Pre-Approved Security Message Plan.

The Bureau of Consular Affairs should repair the systems problem that creates artificially long wait times for visa appointments on the online appointment system.

Embassy Niamey should implement procedures for a panel physician to perform tuberculosis screening of immigrant visa applicants, in accordance with Department of State guidance.

The Bureau of Overseas Buildings Operations should conduct a cost benefit analysis to determine the most operationally practical and cost-effective way to phase out the Embassy Niamey construction contract and implement the result.

Embassy Niamey should designate a contracting officer’s representative to oversee the mobile telephone and virtual private network contracts.

Embassy Niamey should modify its personal property management procedures to enter repair costs in personal property files, in accordance with Department of State regulations.

Embassy Niamey should obtain from each resident of embassy housing a signed statement of receipt and condition of residential household inventory.

Embassy Niamey should modify its motor vehicle procedures to enter all repair costs related to maintaining a vehicle, in accordance with Department of State regulations.

Embassy Niamey should review cashier files for missing documents and comply with Department of State guidelines.

Embassy Niamey should require that all subcashier supervisors conduct unannounced cash verifications and monitor compliance, in accordance with Department of State regulations.

Embassy Niamey should require the subcashier responsible for collecting English-language fees to make daily deposits.

Embassy Niamey should provide a safe that is exclusively under the subcashier’s control.

Embassy Niamey should establish an accounts receivable system for tracking and billing staff members’ personal expenses, including personal phone calls.

Embassy Niamey should publish a management notice explaining procedures for billing embassy employees.

Embassy Niamey should establish an action plan for the human resources unit that identifies priorities, assigns responsibilities, and establishes milestones for completing goals.

Embassy Niamey, in coordination with the Bureau of Human Resources, should update its locally employed staff handbook.

Embassy Niamey should issue an administrative notice to mission staff, outlining responsibility for ensuring that employee position descriptions are accurate.

Embassy Niamey should update locally employed staff position descriptions and reclassify them accordingly.

Embassy Niamey, in coordination with the Bureau of Administration, should implement procedures to maintain and retire official records in accordance with Department of State standards.

Embassy Niamey should perform monthly tests on all portable satellite terminals and associated contingency equipment.

Embassy Niamey should train locally employed staff members to operate and maintain portable satellite terminal and associated contingency equipment.

Embassy Niamey should require the alternate information systems security officer to attend refresher information assurance training.

Embassy Niamey should install mobile radios in all official vehicles.

Embassy Niamey, in coordination with the Bureau of Information Resource Management, should install fixed cellular gateways.

Embassy Niamey should submit a new justification for its consumables weight allowance.