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FAQs

Frequently Asked Questions

What services do you provide?

We provide a variety of services to small, medium and large companies in Africa . These services include:

  • Africa-wide due diligence on corporations and individuals
  • Business and competitive intelligence
  • Mergers and acquisition business intelligence and support
  • Background investigations on individuals and corporations
  • Corporate investigations
  • Litigation support
  • Security consulting for companies with international operations
  • Political risk assessment
  • Threat assessment of countries / locations of corporate subsidiaries / facilities
  • Risk avoidance counsel
  • Training on recognizing and avoiding fraud.
  • Asset searches
  • Support for compliance programs related to the Anti- Corruption Laws

Please call us for a complimentary initial consultation. We offer a variety of services to individuals, companies, State institutions and Governments in all industries and can customize our services to your needs. We would be pleased to discuss your special circumstances and requirements.

 

We believe that everybody should conduct a basic evaluation of the people and companies with whom they are dealing. Before you entrust your business and reputation to someone, make sure they are who they say they are and have the qualifications they say they have.

Our recommendation: Know where you are going and how to get there. However, conducting an Internet search is not enough. You need qualified, capable, real-world professionals to verify the information you have been given, alert you to information you don’t have, and prepare you for the country-specific risk factors and political risks you might encounter. Given our background and access to a global network of resources, we are in a great position to verify the qualifications and check the background of your business partners, contractors, vendors, employees, salespeople, bankers and anyone else who may be critical to your company’s successful operations.

  • Personal attention. Vianca Consults is a boutique firm which means we are able to provide personal attention to each client. Vianca Consults prides itself on the participation of one of its principals in each and every project. They provide a single point of contact, easy access, and review of all work before it is presented to the client.
  • Africa-wide services. While many companies offer similar services, Vianca Consults can offer these services to clients all around Africa.
  • Meetings tailored to the client. Vianca Consults is available to meet in person; however, in a busy world and a global economy, Vianca Consults can also start work based on a phone call or email. With consultations, Vianca Consults can move on a project within 24 hours of authorization, virtually anywhere in the world.
  • Depth of professional resources. Vianca Consults is headquartered in Kampala – Uganda, with a network of associates across the African continent and around the world. Our associates are typically professionals from the business, financial, legal, diplomatic, intelligence, public relations and law enforcement communities who have had extensive training in investigations and strategic studies.
  • Unparalleled expertise. Vianca Consults principals have a lifetime of experience in providing investigative, due diligence and security consulting services to clients worldwide. They are internationally recognized and respected for their work in challenging environments, supporting companies in all stages of their operations across multiple jurisdictions.
  • No bluffing. If we are not in a position to assist on a project, whether it is due to the level of requirements, political instability in a particular country or region, or a personal issue for a trusted source (e.g., injury or illness, etc.), you will be informed of the issue. We may suggest an alternative approach.
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We have an experienced, qualified staff headed by our principals, Egesa Ronald Leonard, Stephen Whitehead and Semu Nsibirwa. Our staff is trained in research, analysis, and writing skills that relate to countries, industries, and corporate operations. They are experienced in pursuing multi-tiered, multi-jurisdictional investigations around Africa. They have access to state-of-the-art and proprietary databases, as well as access to reliable in-country sources around the African continent that have been part of the Vianca Consults network for many years. Our principals coordinate all research and writing and review every report before it reaches the client.

We treat our sources with the same discretion as we treat our clients and are unable to disclose details of our professional associates. However, we can provide details on their qualifications. Our in-country sources are trained, experienced professionals from the business, financial, legal, diplomatic, intelligence, and law enforcement communities. We work with these sources to obtain information on the reputation of the subjects of the investigations and to review public records.

Vianca Consults is able to contain project costs by working with local resources and partners on a case-by-case basis rather than opening offices in all locations where Vianca Consults operates. This eliminates overhead and other costs related to overseas office operations. This arrangement eliminates layers of bureaucracy between the client and the final reporting, which contributes to a more efficient response and lower expenses.

In limited circumstances, We are available to pursue in-country investigations that require immediate, in-person investigations. These investigations are typically of a more complex nature and require briefings and in-depth preparation prior to any travel to the operations under investigation.

Yes. We only use sources that are well known to us from prior investigations and from many years of professional cooperation. We think the use of experienced, in-country professionals with access, and well-honed skills and capabilities serves as an excellent point of reference that supplements and supports the information we obtain through research or from information providers or public records. In some instances, we engage duplicate resources to enhance the coverage and ensure the reliability of the reporting.

In Africa: Many databases can provide information such as contact information, address histories, names and addresses of relatives and neighbours, certain assets (e.g., airplanes, boats, or cars), corporate affiliations, litigation history among others. However, many of these databases contain duplicate and sometimes even inaccurate information; it may require careful review to decipher and delineate the critical information. We use experienced analysts to review this data. Generally, databases alone are only the starting point for a Vianca Consults investigation and must be supplemented by on-site investigations, such as verifying an actual street address for a person or office, retrieving pertinent court records, or contacting local references in regard to a business or an individual.

Yes. We only conduct operations in a legal and ethical manner. You can expect the highest standards in our work and our products.

Yes. We provide details that are based on in-country reporting, as well as analysis of the reporting to assist in interpreting the information. We typically resolve any conflicts in the reporting from our sources and insist upon clarification of information before we send you our report. We are dedicated to producing a premium report in a timely fashion, and you will be able to rely on our reporting and our analysis of the details provided.

We do not have a “typical” client. Vianca Consults has served a myriad of clients, which include Governments, multinational corporations, International non-profit organisations, National security and intelligence agencies as well as small and medium-sized businesses and organisations in Africa. We address investigations and consulting needs in politics and in all industries and/or sectors

Unless authorized or specifically instructed by you, we treat all inquiries with complete discretion and confidentiality throughout the investigation and past the completion of our assignment.
If the investigation is to be discreet the subject of the investigation will not know an investigation is taking place. Our local associate is generally not provided with full details regarding the purpose of the investigation or the ultimate client requesting the investigation.

Every case is unique and the time required to provide you with a report depends in part on the information you are looking for. Before accepting a case we will give you an estimate of the expected turnaround time, taking into account possible delays in obtaining results from foreign government agencies that are often not as easily accessible as American government agencies. Our network of local investigators is a major factor in our ability to reduce the turnaround time as they are very familiar with the local systems and are able to quickly cut through red tape to obtain the desired information. We understand that your requests are critical and strive for the quickest possible turnaround time. Vianca Consults can move on a project within 24 hours of authorization, virtually anywhere in the world.

We understand that sometimes emergency situations come up unexpectedly, and need to be resolved quickly. We encourage you to call us immediately to discuss your problems. In previous cases, especially those relating to physical security, we have safely supported our clients’ operations within less than 24 hours of contact.

Our prices vary depending on the specific requirements of a case; the country and city in which an investigation is conducted, the complexities of a case, the time constraints, and other issues that relate to the sensitivity of the investigation itself.
In general, we work on a fixed fee basis. Once we have obtained details related to your specific issues and your goals, we will outline the proposed professional services related to your specific case and any case-specific expenses that are anticipated. Our fees will include standard expenses, such as in-country sources, proprietary database access and overhead expenses. The exception will be travel expenses or other substantial changes in services rendered, with all such variations subject to prior authorization by the client.

For example, an investigation of an individual in the one country alone will be less expensive than an investigation of an individual with residence or business operations in several countries. Fees will also vary with the nature of your case, i.e., the fee associated with investigations of an individual will be different than due diligence on a business with operations in several countries. In general, certain jurisdictions are more difficult than others; our fees reflect this variance.
Please call us for a complimentary initial consultation to discuss your case. A binding non-disclosure agreement can be completed prior to any consultation. Consultations can be conducted in coordination with legal or corporate counsel, as appropriate. A conflict check will be conducted to ensure there is no conflict of interest on the part of Vianca Consults in discussing your business operations.

We have successfully located persons who have relocated outside Africa to avoid prosecution or to conceal money or assets they embezzled from our clients. We have also located persons with personal or family ties who had lost contact with friends and family members for various reasons. You may contact us at any time to discuss your case with us. We would be pleased to discuss with you how we can best assist you in locating missing persons.

While Vianca Consults does not provide personal surveillance, or accident investigations, we can refer you to reliable companies that specialize in investigations related to marital disputes or accident investigations.

We usually work with investigators who are personally known to us from prior projects or previous professional association. However, we are always interested in hearing from qualified individuals with a background in professional investigations. Please fill out the form in our Contact Us section and we will contact you if we have an immediate need for an investigator in your local business community. You can also send us an email at info[at]viancaconsults.com or send us a WhatsApp message at +256782442375. We make a point of contacting individuals during our frequent travels around the African continent; we would be pleased to meet with you as our schedules permit.

Vianca Consults conducts investigations and due diligence all over Africa. 
It provides actionable intelligence and risk avoidance counsel
 to assist Governments and companies in their international relations and operations.