The security situation in Mali has severely worsened in recent years. A Dutch NGO operating in the country requested Forth Global to review their security plan and assure its robustness.

Moreover, attaching importance to having safe offices and accommodations, they wanted a physical security assessment to be done. Therefore, Forth Global sent one of its consultants to Bamako.

To review the client’s security plan, our consultant started with an in-depth context analysis of both the security and local-operational context. He did so by interviewing relevant stakeholders and collecting relevant data through reports and publications. This led to a risk assessment, giving an insight into organisational exposure and potential vulnerabilities. Forth Global formulated various extra measures and procedures to reduce these vulnerabilities. Moreover, as security risks can never be fully excluded, we advised on emergency response preparations.

To perform the physical security assessment, the consultant visited the client’s office in Bamako as well as frequently used locations such as hotels and conference venues. He graded  the buildings and their environments based on Forth Global’s standards and delivered a list of vetted locations.

Gijs Weijenberg: “Forth Global is highly experienced with performing on-the-ground security assessments in countries like Mali, Nigeria, Kenya, Iraq or Lebanon. In order to make sure that measures are robust but also proportional, it is key to link a client’s internal context with the overall political and security situation (external context). As such, we stay in close contact with clients throughout our projects.”