WHISTLEBLOWING POLICY

The FSD Africa Whistleblowing Policy (Version 2.0, May 2022) establishes a framework for employees, partners, and third parties to report unethical behaviour, malpractice, or criminal offences. It provides multiple reporting channels, including an independent 24/7 hotline, and outlines protections for whistleblowers against retaliation, while specifying disciplinary actions for malicious reporting.

• FSD Africa defines reportable unethical behaviour and malpractice to include safeguarding concerns (sexual exploitation, abuse, and harassment), criminal offences such as fraud, theft, corruption, or money laundering, failure to comply with legal obligations or internal policies, dangers to health and safety, and environmental damage.
• The policy provides several avenues for raising concerns. Staff are encouraged to use line managers or senior leadership (CEO, CFO, or Director HR and Talent Management). Third parties may contact the manager in charge of their contract or senior management. The general public can contact the CEO or use an anonymous tip-offs line.
• FSD Africa utilizes a 24/7 independent third-party whistleblowing hotline. Reporting options include a Safaricom-based line (0800 722 626) available in English and Swahili, an international hotline (+273 157 152 60), email (fsdafrica@tip-offs.com), and a website (www.tip-offs.com). Concerns regarding sexual harassment or Code of Conduct breaches can also be reported to the FCDO.
• Investigations are overseen by a designated independent officer (typically the CFO, Director HR and Talent Management, or Director Corporate Services) appointed by the CEO or Board Chairman. The officer must respond to confidential whistleblowers within two days. Investigations should ideally be completed within two months; if not, the whistleblower must be informed in writing of the reason and the expected closure date.
• The policy guarantees protection from retaliation, stating that victimising, discriminating, or intimidating a whistleblower is considered gross misconduct. Conversely, employees who make deliberately malicious reports may face disciplinary measures, and FSD Africa may claim back costs incurred from investigations based on false allegations.
• FSD Africa commits to independent assurance of its whistleblowing mechanism every two years through an independent auditor and internal audit processes to assess risk management and governance efficacy.
• Training on the policy is mandatory for all employees during initial orientation and as an annual refresher. The Director HR and Talent Management coordinates this training and reports annually to the Board of Directors on the policy's effectiveness and any reports received.

APA

FSD Africa (2022). WHISTLEBLOWING POLICY. https://fsdafrica.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Whistleblowing-Policy-1.pdf

Chicago

FSD Africa. WHISTLEBLOWING POLICY. 2022. https://fsdafrica.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Whistleblowing-Policy-1.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=FSD Africa |title=WHISTLEBLOWING POLICY |date=May 2022 |url=https://fsdafrica.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Whistleblowing-Policy-1.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{fsdafrica2022whistleblowing, author = {{FSD Africa}}, title = {{WHISTLEBLOWING POLICY}}, institution = {FSD Africa}, year = {2022}, month = may, url = {https://fsdafrica.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Whistleblowing-Policy-1.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }