Rédaction Africa Links 24 with babucarr balajo
Published on 2024-03-05 09:45:22
The Gambia’s Auditor General, Modou Ceesay, recently celebrated his first anniversary in office with an exclusive interview with The Standard. In the interview, Ceesay discussed his achievements, vision, and plans to strengthen the country’s supreme audit institution.
Ceesay acknowledged the strong foundation laid by his predecessor and expressed his commitment to building upon that foundation. He highlighted the support of his staff and the existing policies and programmes that were already in place, making for a smooth transition into the office. Ceesay emphasized the importance of continuing the wisdom, leadership skills, and energy of his predecessor to further the work of the Auditor General’s office.
Over the past year, Ceesay and his team have made notable progress in several areas. They have focused on professional and administrative reforms, increasing the number of professional staff and implementing professional programmes to enhance the capacity of the National Audit Office (NAO). This includes initiatives such as increasing the number of ACCA and CFE students and participating in the Africa Professionalisation Initiative.
Additionally, Ceesay has worked on expanding the audit scope by increasing the number of auditees, providing assurance to the National Assembly on the use of public resources. The NAO has also cleared backlogs in auditing government accounts, with plans to audit the 2021–2022 accounts by March.
Ceesay has also improved engagements with auditees, bringing them together to address challenges and promote a better understanding of the benefits of auditing. The NAO has implemented technology enhancements, such as the Gam-SEAT audit tool, to automate the audit process and improve documentation for reference and quality assurance.
In terms of transparency, Ceesay emphasized the importance of publishing audit reports on time and maintaining the NAO’s commitment to transparency, inclusivity, and objectivity. The NAO is present on internet and social media platforms to increase visibility and accessibility to its reports.
Addressing the issue of audit backlogs, Ceesay highlighted the importance of working with stakeholders, such as the National Assembly, Accountant General’s Office, and Ministry of Finance, to ensure timely preparation and submission of accounts for audit. By collaborating with relevant supervisory bodies, the NAO aims to tackle backlogs and deliver timely audit reports to the National Assembly.
Overall, Ceesay’s first year as Auditor General has been marked by significant achievements and progress in professionalization, audit scope expansion, technology enhancements, transparency, and backlog management. He remains committed to building on these gains and further strengthening the NAO’s mandate of ensuring transparency and accountability in the Gambia.
Read the original article on The Standard
