Deza poaching in the Seco area: duel between the directors

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Officially, the State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (Seco) is responsible for cooperation with the private sector. But Seco State Secretary Helene Budliger Artieda (58) has an ambitious competitor in this area: Patricia Danzi (54), head of the Development and Cooperation Directorate (SDC).

Danzi implements what is considered the genuine concern of FDP Foreign Minister Ignazio Cassis (62): more business in development cooperation. It is an open secret that Cassis wants the SDC to have less left-wing NGO politics and more economic development. But this means that Cassis is competing with Seco. Many people doubt whether tax money is being spent optimally.

A lot of money to get advice

Cassis’ favorite baby in the SDC is called the “Competence Center for Engagement with the Private Sector” (KEP). Research by Blick shows: The SDC has six employees with 3.5 full-time equivalents. The KEP costs taxpayers approximately R7.3 million annually. There are also external consultancy contracts. Unlike the Seco, the SDC has little expertise in working with the private sector. The SDC confirms: In recent years, more than 2.5 million francs have flowed into consultancy contracts. In concrete terms, this concerned the following mandates:

• iGravity AG received CHF 425,247.31
• EBP Schweiz AG received CHF 2958.40
• BHP & Partner AG received CHF 897,329.80
• Hystra Hybrid Strategies Consulting received an amount of EUR 415,156.36
• iGravity AG received CHF 194,655.56
• Roots of Impact GmbH received CHF 342,490.63
• Sagana GmbH received CHF 130,047.75
• The consortium Walder Wyss AG and Bolz+Partner Consulting AG received CHF 123,469.95
• BHP Brugger & Partner AG received CHF 44,091.40

A good face against the evil game

At Seco, the numbers make people shake their heads. Naturally, Seco officially emphasizes the good cooperation: “The SDC’s commitment to involvement in the private sector complements Seco’s activities. The collaboration is going well and efficiently,” says a Seco spokesperson. But isn’t a lot of money being wasted on something that is actually Seco’s core competency? The SDC wants nothing to do with it and justifies the expensive consultancy contracts: “The competence center for engagement with the private sector works with external partners to ensure optimal support of the projects.”

Swiss aid organizations see things differently. They have to fight for every penny year after year and are surprised that money is looser when it comes to external consulting contracts for the private sector. “Development cooperation should focus on combating poverty,” says Alliance Sud Managing Director Andreas Missbach (57). “The private sector can only play a complementary role.”

SP foreign politician Fabian Molina (33) was also surprised about the expensive consultancy contracts in an interview with Blick: “In recent years, the Federal Council has enormously stimulated cooperation with Swiss companies in the field of development cooperation. The result is that there is ambiguity and double counting. It is important that these issues are addressed ahead of the next strategic period.”

Source:Blick