Freetown: Government Audit Committee and Internal Audit Directorate, Ministry of Finance, recently met Parliamentary Accounts Committee (PAC) at Parliament, discussing audit recommendation implementation and implications for Public Expenditure and Financial Accountability (PEFA) ratings.
According to Sierra Leone News Agency, Dr. Claudius Williams Tucker, Government Audit Committee Chairman, briefed PAC on committee functions and challenges, noting the committee seeks to work with the Internal Audit Directorate to implement actions from internal and external MDA audits.
Dr. Claudius outlined primary obstacles to PEFA ratings, specifically pointing out issues with audit recommendation implementation. He cited untimely documentation submission, blatant breaches of control procedures, and the failure to invoke punitive measures against perpetrators of infractions as factors driving high audit issue rates reported in Audit Service Sierra Leone (ASSL) reports.
The GAC Chairman emphasized the need for collaboration on PAC-resolved issues, including the development of software to automate audit issue recording and the introduction of Standard Operating Procedures (SOP). He implored the PAC Chairman to play an active monitoring role using the software.
Hon. Tawa Conteh, PAC Chairman, thanked GAC members for their bold step and extended an olive branch towards reducing audit issues to a minimum. He briefly analyzed PAC work, outlined duty challenges, and assured the committee of scaled-up operations to produce current reports. He indicated that PAC reports from 2021-2023 are available, with the 2024 audit report currently under preparation.
Hon. Tawa expressed optimism about working with GAC to reduce audit issues highlighted in the Auditor General’s report, reiterating the importance of regular future meetings.
The meeting concluded with both committees agreeing to maintain a closer working relationship and provide mutual support.