Epiphane Zoro Bi Ballo has been appointed as the new President of the High Authority for Good Governance (HABG), replacing Ngolo Coulibaly. He was previously the Minister of Promotion of Good Governance, Capacity Building, and Anti-Corruption ¹. Epiphane Zoro Bi Ballo is a magistrate by profession, born on January 11, 1968, in Sinfra, in the Center-West of Côte d’Ivoire. He holds a Diploma of Specialized Studies in Human Rights obtained in 2002 from the Catholic University of Louvain, Belgium ¹. His career as a magistrate began in 1996 at the Dimbokro court where he worked as an assistant section judge. In 2004, after leading the Ivorian Movement for Human Rights (MIDH) for four years, he demonstrated his expertise in the Democratic Republic of Congo. There, he successively held positions such as coordinator of the project “progressive restoration of the penal justice system,” resident director of the Carter Center, coordinator of the unit for justice and fight against impunity within the Joint Office of the United Nations for Human Rights before being appointed legal expert to the International Criminal Court ¹. He was appointed Secretary-General of the National Commission for Francophonie by President Alassane Ouattara in 2012. From 2016 to 2019, he was successively appointed Director of Legal, Consular and Humanitarian Affairs at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, then National Secretary for Capacity Building before being appointed State Secretary for Capacity Building. All this work culminated in his integration into the government on April 6, 2021, as Minister of Promotion of Good Governance, Capacity Building and Anti-Corruption ¹.

The High Authority for Good Governance (HABG) is an independent administrative authority and legal entity with financial autonomy, established by the Government of the Republic of Cote d’Ivoire as part of its national anti-corruption plan ¹. It is placed under the authority of the President of the Republic and is responsible for preventing and combating corruption and related offenses ¹. The HABG has jurisdiction over the entire region and is responsible for drawing up and implementing the national strategy for anti-corruption, coordinating, supervising, and monitoring the implementation of prevention policies and the fight against corruption, periodically evaluating the instruments and administrative measures in order to determine their effectiveness in the field of prevention and the fight against corruption, identifying the structural causes of corruption and assimilated incriminations, proposing measures to eliminate them in all public and parapublic services, providing advice for the prevention of corruption to any natural or legal person or to any public or private body, making recommendations on legislative and regulatory measures to prevent and combat corruption, contributing to the moralization of public life and consolidating the principles of good governance, as well as the culture of public service, assisting the public and private sectors in the elaboration of rules of ethics, educating and sensitizing the public on the consequences of corruption ¹. The HABG also conducts investigations into practices of corruption, identifies alleged perpetrators and their accomplices in order to initiate prosecution. To do so, it collects, centralizes, and exploits denunciations and complaints it receives. It receives reports of inspections and audits of state control and detection bodies and structures in the fight against corruption, as well as statements of assets of public officials. It may refer matters to the Public Prosecutor before the competent court. It also ensures strengthening inter-sectoral coordination and development of cooperation with bodies that participate in the fight against corruption at both national and international levels ¹.

The High Authority for Good Governance (HABG) collaborates with various organizations to combat corruption. The HABG works with the Ivorian Anti-Corruption Network (RIAC-CI), which is a network of civil society organizations that fight against corruption in Côte d’Ivoire ¹. The HABG also collaborates with the National Anti-Corruption Network (REN-LAC), which is a network of civil society organizations that fight against corruption in Burkina Faso ¹. The HABG has signed a memorandum of understanding with the Ivorian National Police to strengthen the fight against corruption ¹. The HABG also collaborates with the Ivorian Ministry of Justice and Human Rights, the Ivorian Ministry of Public Service and Administrative Reform, and the Ivorian Ministry of Economy and Finance ¹. In addition, the HABG works with international organizations such as the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the World Bank to combat corruption ¹. The UNDP has provided technical assistance to the HABG in developing its strategic plan for 2020-2024 ¹. The World Bank has supported the HABG in developing its national strategy for anti-corruption and has provided technical assistance to strengthen its institutional capacity ¹.

The Ivorian Anti-Corruption Network (RIAC-CI) is a network of civil society organizations that fight against corruption in Côte d’Ivoire ¹. The network was created in 2002 and has since been working to promote transparency, accountability, and good governance in the country ¹. The RIAC-CI is composed of more than 50 organizations from various sectors, including human rights, media, trade unions, and professional associations ¹. The network’s main objectives are to raise awareness about corruption, promote transparency and accountability in public institutions, and advocate for the adoption of effective anti-corruption policies and measures ¹. The RIAC-CI also provides support to victims of corruption and works to strengthen the capacity of civil society organizations to fight against corruption ¹.