Report Contents
What OIG Inspected
OIG inspected the executive direction, policy and program implementation, resource management, and information management operations of Embassy Harare.
What OIG Found:
- The Ambassador and Deputy Chief of Mission led Embassy Harare in a professional and collaborative manner.
- Department of State and interagency stakeholders praised Embassy Harare’s reporting on human rights and civil society repression, sanctions, and strategic competition as being particularly strong.
- The embassy paid its locally employed staff in cash with U.S. dollars for more than a decade without the required approvals from the Department of the Treasury. The payment in U.S. dollars resulted in additional transaction costs of $276,000 over 2 fiscal years.
- The Consular Section had some deficiencies in employee orientation and training, fraud prevention program management, and recordkeeping
- The embassy lacked systematic processes for the approval of foreign assistance proposals and for the coordination of foreign assistance programs across agencies.
- Embassy Harare had deficiencies in property management, the fire protection program, and time and attendance procedures.
- The financial management office did not have standard procedures to track and process employee accounts receivables.
What OIG Recommends
OIG made 17 recommendations to Embassy Harare. In its comments on the draft report, the embassy concurred with all 17 recommendations. OIG considers all 17 recommendations resolved. The embassy’s response to each recommendation and OIG’s reply can be found in the Recommendations section of this report. The embassy’s formal response is reprinted in its entirety in Appendix B.
Report Terms
Report Recommendations
Embassy Harare should monitor and document public diplomacy grants in accordance with Department standards.
Embassy Harare should implement a consular orientation and training program, in accordance with Department standards.
Embassy Harare should bring its Consular Section records management program into compliance with Department standards.
Embassy Harare should implement a written fraud prevention strategy and accompanying standard operating procedures in accordance with Department standards.
Embassy Harare should manage asylee records in accordance with Department guidance.
Embassy Harare should implement a process to coordinate its foreign assistance programming in accordance with Department guidelines.
Embassy Harare should update standard operating procedures to assist staff in managing federal assistance awards in accordance with Department guidelines.
Embassy Harare should manage federal assistance awards in accordance with Department guidelines.
Embassy Harare should bring its payroll for locally employed staff into compliance with Department standards and coordinate with the Bureau of the Comptroller and Global Financial Services to determine whether alternatives to cash payroll exist so funds used to pay for cash replenishment fees could be put to better use.
Embassy Harare should bring its time and attendance procedures into compliance with Department standards.
Embassy Harare should perform workplace hazard inspections of high-risk work areas in compliance with Department standards.
Embassy Harare should bring its fire protection program into compliance with Department standards.
Embassy Harare should bring its property management program into compliance with Department standards.
Embassy Harare should establish and implement a standard operating procedure for tracking and processing employee accounts receivables in accordance with Department requirements.
Embassy Harare should bring its cashiering operations into compliance with Department standards.
Embassy Harare should clear outstanding travel advances in accordance with Department standards and put overdue travel advance funds of up to $22,712 to better use.
Embassy Harare should bring its records management program into compliance with Department standards.