The Internal Audit Division in the Ministry of Finance (MOF), in collaboration with the European Union has concluded a 3-day workshop with internal Auditors, Vote Controllers and Audit Committee Members, on the popularisation of the newly developed Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) on Audit Follow-Up and Recommendations.
Director of Internal Audit at MoF, Kandeh Sesay said their role is to provide unbiased, objective assessments of how public resources are managed. He added that auditors help public sector organisations achieve accountability and integrity, improve operations, and instill confidence among citizens and stakeholders hence the reason to popularise the new SOPs.
He said the Standard Operating Procedure (SOPs) is an audit follow-up document backed up by other documents approved by parliament to be used by the internal audit service.
He noted that the implementation of the findings and recommendations of the Audit over the years had not been given the relevance it deserved. He said at the end of the training, they expect all stakeholders to be able to clarify their respective roles as stated in the SOPs.
He expressed that the importance of the New SOPs in improving audit follow-up cannot be over-emphasized.
The government representative, Paul Caulker said the set of participants is critical to the full implementation of the SOPs.
He said the audit committee is exceptionally the key private force assisting MDAs in addressing findings and recommendations for both internal and external auditors. He retreated that the audit committee should be able to advise and guide MDAs in responding to audit issues responsibly in line with the audit unit service.
The EU representative, Martial Laurent said European Union is supporting the projects with several activities in Sierra Leone. He also said Sierra Leone has made progress in developing capacity building for both internal and external audit control.
He pointed out that indicators have shown that the government can significantly improve implementing the PFM system. He noted European Union representative said that there is a guide and consideration to which liberation is the need to enhance the PFM system in Sierra Leone and the operation of the Ministry of Finance and its budget oversight committee in the country.
He added that the role of internal audit and their perception of it and audit recommendations are crucial. He said they believed that there is a high potential for improving the system and also improving participation by strengthening the role of both internal and external audits. The translation of the Audit Reports into the SOPs would be a laudable venture, he noted.
