AFROSAI-E Convenes Member SAIs for Successful 2023 Strategic Review & Governance Board Meeting
This year, the 2023 AFROSAI-E Strategic Review and 19th Governing Board meeting was hosted by the supreme audit institution (SAI) of Ghana and held in beautiful, sun-drenched Accra. The event brought together a contingency of over 140 representatives from AFROSAI-E’s member countries, partner institutions and key stakeholders, to discuss the challenges and opportunities facing the African auditor community.
To kick off events of the four-day summit, participants were treated with a cultural display of music and dance, performed by the Ghana National Dance Ensemble, which was later followed-up with a song from the Ghana Audit Service Choir.
Accountability and Trust as Key Themes Within AFROSAI-E
In his welcoming remarks, the Auditor General of Ghana, Mr. Johnson Akuamoah Asiedu, spoke on what would become key themes of the AFROSAI-E strategic review: strengthening public trust and ensuring accountability. His message to the SAIs about exhibiting the highest standards in their auditing practices and continuing to express innovation in their work in order to maintain the public’s trust, was well received by the attendees.
Ms. Nancy Gathungu, AFROSAI-E Chairperson and Auditor General of Kenya, echoed Mr. Asiedu’s sentiments in her remarks centered on the importance of SAIs reinforcing accountability in the public sector through good governance. She stated that a key part of this task is guaranteeing the appropriate training of audit staff and having a steadfast commitment to institutional capacity building. She heralded the institutional capacity framework as an important tool in accomplishing this goal.
SAI Ghana Wins Best Performance Audit Report Prize
This year, the Ghana Audit Service claimed the coveted annual prize for best performance audit report in the AFROSAI-E region, repeating their success in 2022. Nominations for the 2023 award included reports from the SAIs of Ethiopia, The Gambia, Ghana, Kenya, Sierra Leone, Tanzania, and Uganda. Ghana’s winning report, entitled “Fleet Management of the National Ambulance Service,” examines the issue of ambulance shortages in Ghana. Ms. Helena Lindberg, Auditor General of Sweden, presented the award to the winning audit team.
AFROSAI-E Makes Progress Towards Meeting Strategic Plan Goals
The Chief Executive Officer of AFROSAI-E, Ms. Meisie Nkau, provided an overview of the three-year progress AFROSAI-E had made on its strategic plan goals. Ms. Nkau emphasized the commitment of AFROSAI-E to its member SAIs in continuing to seek to enhance their collective ability to produce quality work. She stated that there had been progress in some strategic goal areas, including:
- professionalization of public sector auditing,
- empowering SAIs to produce greater quality work , and
- transforming SAI organizational capabilities for greater impact.
However, the region faces challenges of ongoing threats to SAI independence, online interventions, increased travel costs, and the institutionalization of training. Ms. Nkau went on to share some proposed mitigation strategies, including: 1) supporting open lines of communication with member SAIs, 2) encouraging hybrid intervention where possible, 3) increasing AFROSAI-E’s funding pool, and 4) institutionalizing capacity building support. She concluded her update on strategic plan progress by reminding the group that the common goal of AFROSAI-E is to understand SAI needs, efficiently match those needs, and to develop interventions to address specific needs.
Ms. Nkau’s concluding words led into a discussion on donor program opportunities and donor coordination and cooperation, led by Mr. Michael Hix, Director of International Relations at the U.S. Government Accountability Office. SAIs shared their experiences using the INTOSAI Donor Cooperation program and spoke about the vital assistance donors provide. Donor assistance has helped with audit planning, consolidating reports and sharing findings with government officials, and conducting follow-up on report findings. SAI Kenya shared that its donor partners contribute to 70 percent of its engagements and that their audit work is increasing. SAI Kenya recognizes that utilizing donor partner programs is a key priority.
Keynote Address Emphasizes Fair Energy Transition in Africa and Important Role of SAIs
Ms. Shelia Khama, an independent mineral, oil and gas policy advisor who previously worked for the World Bank and African Development Bank’s mineral, oil and gas policy advisory units, delivered the keynote speech. Ms. Khama’s remarks reminded attendees that the African continent and its leaders have a unique opportunity before them, in that the global North has an increasing demand for Africa’s mineral resources. This potentially situates Africa in a position to shape its economic future in a way that benefits all of its people. Taking proper account of the extent of Africa’s natural capital and prioritizing development over short-term gain is paramount in this endeavor. She said that the SAIs of African nations have the responsibility of holding institutions and organizations accountable and will be carrying out essential work in the emerging areas of carbon markets and carbon pricing.
Dr. Robert B. M. Sogbadji, Deputy Director of Power at the Ghana Nuclear Programme Office, highlighted some of the energy transition activities Ghana has been implementing. He spoke about the sustainability lessons of climate change in Africa, and that energy transition activities, such as establishing a liquid petroleum gas hub and distributing more energy efficient carbon stoves to citizens, were helping to reduce emissions and sources of greenhouse gases in Ghana.
Group plenary sessions focused participant discussion on key topics, such as the important role of country risk assessments in multi-year audit planning, and accountability mechanisms to affect audit recommendation implementation. Participants agreed that incorporating follow-ups on audit recommendations in the multi-year planning of SAIs should be a best practice.
On the final day of the meeting, technical symposiums focused participant discussions on implementation strategies of the resolutions and recommendations proposed over the previous meeting days. The Governing Board meeting also convened member auditor generals. Attendees praised the success of the 2023 AFROSAI-E Strategic Review and 19th Governing Board Meeting and departed looking forward to next year’s event scheduled to be held in Uganda.
Learn more about AFROSAI-E by visiting their website: https://afrosai-e.org.za/
