Inspection of Embassy Mbabane, Eswatini

What OIG Inspected
OIG inspected the executive direction, program and policy implementation, resource management, and information management operations of Embassy Mbabane.

What OIG Recommends
OIG made 3 recommendations: 2 to Embassy Mbabane and 1 to the Bureau of Information Resource Management. In its comments on the draft report, the Department concurred with all 3 recommendations. OIG considers all 3 recommendations resolved. The Department’s response to each recommendation, and OIG’s reply, can be found in the Recommendations section of this report. The Department’s formal written responses are reprinted in their entirety in Appendix B.

What OIG Found

• The Ambassador and the Deputy Chief of Mission led Embassy Mbabane in a positive, inclusive, and professional manner. Employees especially praised the Front Office for its accessibility and attention to the well-being of the staff.
• The Ambassador led the embassy’s efforts to achieve concrete foreign policy accomplishments, including helping Eswatini regain eligibility for trade benefits under the African Growth and Opportunity Act.
• Embassy Mbabane’s Front Office established effective coordination and oversight of the funding provided to Eswatini under the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief. With the help of that assistance, Eswatini achieved positive results in fighting the HIV/AIDS epidemic.
• The Management Section lacked internal controls on fuel deliveries for residential generators.
• The embassy did not have adequate means of emergency communications, as its high frequency radio had been inoperable for 18 months at the time of the inspection.
• The Information Systems Security Officer did not have the appropriate training to perform his duties.