The leaders of a small U.S. aid agency focused on African development have been accused of mismanagement, misuse of official funds, and fraudulent and corrupt spending practices, according to interviews with former agency employees and a trove of internal documents and two letters from U.S. lawmakers obtained by Foreign Policy.

The leaders of a small U.S. aid agency focused on African development have been accused of mismanagement, misuse of official funds, and fraudulent and corrupt spending practices, according to interviews with former agency employees and a trove of internal documents and two letters from U.S. lawmakers obtained by Foreign Policy.

Two U.S. lawmakers have leveled the allegations of waste, fraud, and abuse at the U.S. African Development Foundation (USADF), a small federal aid agency that invests directly in African businesses and development projects.

Sens. Jim Risch and Tim Scott in late January sent a letter to the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO), an independent government watchdog, urging a federal investigation into the USADF. They urged the GAO to investigate “misuse of official funds; fraudulent spending and record keeping; conflicts of interest among USADF management, board members, and private-sector/non-governmental partners; gross mismanagement” and “inappropriate,........

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