World Bank Group Debars Entreprise Babati and Its Owner

WASHINGTON, August 5, 2026—The World Bank Group today announced the 35-month debarments of Entreprise Babati, a construction company based in Niger, and its owner and Director-General, Mr. Babati Sayid Ali Ahmed, in connection with fraudulent practices under the Enhancing Niger Northeastern Connectivity Project. The project aims to enhance connectivity and road safety along the Zinder-Agadez Road section and improve access to basic socio-economic infrastructure for selected communities in that road section. According to the facts of the case, Entreprise Babati and Mr. Babati presented false experience documents and a false tax certificate in a prequalification application to qualify for a contract under the project. This was a fraudulent practice under the World Bank’s sanctions framework. The debarments make Entreprise Babati and Mr. Babati ineligible to participate in projects and operations financed by institutions of the Bank Group. The debarments are part of two settlement agreements under which Entreprise Babati and Mr. Babati admit culpability for the underlying sanctionable practices. Per the Bank Group Sanctioning Guidelines, the settlement agreements provide for a reduced period of debarment in light of Entreprise Babati and Mr. Babati’s cooperation. As a condition for release from sanction under the terms of the settlement agreements, Entreprise Babati and Mr. Babati commit to developing and implementing integrity compliance measures that reflect the relevant principles set out in the Bank Group Integrity Compliance Guidelines, and Mr. Babati further agrees to complete corporate ethics training. Entreprise Babati and Mr. Babati also commit to continue to fully cooperate with the Bank Group’s Integrity Vice Presidency. The debarments of Entreprise Babati and Mr. Babati qualify for cross-debarment by other multilateral development banks under the Agreement for Mutual Enforcement of Debarment Decisions that was signed on April 9, 2010.