01 · Research, evidence & evaluation
Due-diligence research on partners and counterparties
Before you sign with a partner, supplier or grantee in Ghana or West Africa, we investigate the counterparty within agreed registers and sources.
Tell us what you needYou receive the findings, the questions that remain open, and the full source trail.
- Led by
- Michael Gagakuma and Prof. Wisdom Gagakuma
- Delivery
- Remote, and on site from Accra
- Fees
- Fixed fee, quoted to your scope
- Free tool
- Source & evidence register builder
- Contracting
- GKM Legacy Holdings, Maryland
What you receive.
Documents you can use, each with its method and sources attached.
04in the pack
See a demonstration of the output: Specimen · Investor & donor due-diligence research
Findings report
What was checked, what was found and what could not be confirmed.
Source trail
Every register, document and public source consulted, with dates.
Open questions
The specific questions to put to the counterparty or a specialist.
Risk summary
A short view of the issues that matter for your decision.
Who commissions this, and when.
Buyers and moments where this work pays for itself, and where it does not.
Who it is for
- Investors and funds vetting a local partner
- International NGOs and primes checking sub-grantees
- Corporates checking suppliers and distributors
- Diaspora investors checking a local counterparty
When to call us
- Before a partnership, grant or supply agreement is signed
- When a counterparty’s claims do not match what you have seen
- When a funder asks you to evidence your partner checks
When it is not the answer
This is desk and source research, not a full legal or financial due diligence. Where a question needs a lawyer or an auditor, we say so and name the question.
Led byMichael Gagakuma and Prof. Wisdom Gagakuma
- Contracting
- GKM Legacy Holdings, Maryland
- Consultation
- from USD 90
Scope and fees.
Fees are agreed in writing before work begins. Estimates are shown as estimates.
Fees
Fixed fee, quoted to your scope
Send a brief or book a short call. We reply with a written scope, dates and a fixed fee before any work begins.
What we need from you
- Counterparty name and any documents they have provided
- The decision and deadline
- Any concerns that prompted the check
Not included unless agreed
- Legal opinions and title searches by a lawyer
- Financial audit
- Covert or intrusive investigation methods
How the work runs.
Each stage ends in something you review before the next begins.
Stage 1 of 5
Research question
Agree the counterparty, the decision at stake and the questions to answer.
Review pointThe question and the decision it serves, agreed in writing.
Stage 2 of 5
Method
Fix the registers, sources and checks in a short research plan.
Review pointMethod note signed off before any collection.
Stage 3 of 5
Sources
Search corporate, court, media and sector sources, and log each one.
Review pointSource list and access confirmed.
Stage 4 of 5
Findings
Weigh what was found against what was claimed.
Review pointDraft findings, each traced to its sources.
Stage 5 of 5
Decision
Deliver the report and brief you on the open questions.
Review pointDecision memo and data handed over.
Questions buyers ask.
Anything else: ask in a brief.
Will the counterparty know?
Standard checks use public and registry sources and do not contact the counterparty unless you agree we should.
Can you check individuals?
Only within lawful, proportionate checks relevant to the business decision, and never for private matters.
How current are the results?
Each source carries the date it was consulted. Registers change, so the report states its as-of date.
Related work
What needs to move forward?
Tell us the decision, the challenge or the opportunity. We reply with a scoped approach, a named principal and a fee before any work begins.
No charge to submit an enquiry.