ACFE South Africa Chapter Conference Wraps Up in Johannesburg

LIVE FROM THE CONFERENCE

Allan Bachman, CFE

ACFE Education Manager

Monday morning during the opening session of the Fifth Annual South African ACFE Chapter Fraud Conference I said, “Good morning” in 12 languages, representing most of the 18 nations in attendance. My efforts were well received and much appreciated, and it created an immediate bond with the attendees. Every ACFE conference is truly an international event, and this event was no exception.

The South African ACFE Chapter Fraud Conference is the second largest anti-fraud conference in the world after our ACFE Annual Fraud Conference. This conference, however, is fully hosted by the ACFE South Africa Chapter. This year, they welcomed more than 700 attendees over three full days of events; quite an accomplishment.

Speakers from across Africa addressed issues familiar everywhere: bribery, corruption, procurement fraud and much more.

Keynote speaker Stephen Powell, a former prosecutor from Cape Town, had the attendees amazed and amused with his stories of corruption and his personal examples. His expertise in international laws against bribery and corruption made him a perfect fit for the conference. Another keynote included the current public prosecutor in South Africa, Thuli Madonsela, who praised the efforts of Certified Fraud Examiners in their ongoing efforts to deter and detect fraud. Read more about Madonsela's address.

I saw many attendees whom I had the privilege to meet at one of our earlier ACFE Annual Fraud Conferences, and I made many new acquaintances from almost every country in Africa. Their problems are both common to all anti-fraud professionals and unique in some respects. The coordination, collaboration and cooperation among countries remain critical to the anti-fraud effort.

I would like to thank Jaco de Jäger, the ACFE South Africa Chapter and the staff that hosted me. It was truly a successful event that I hope to attend in the future.