Auditors In Africa Push For Independence To Achieve Transparency

Members of the African Auditors Forum are seeking financial and administrative independence to enable them perform their roles without interference. Auditors from different African countries gathered in Abuja, Nigeria’s capital city, on Monday, 9^th of May to discuss issues that affect their profession and find solutions.

Representatives of 23 African countries alongside the Auditor General of Nigeria, Mr Samuel Ukura, expressed optimism that the move would assist them in achieving transparency in public sector accounting.

Mr Ukura said that reviewing the laws establishing auditing bodies in African region would grant more powers that would ensure that public sector audits translated into the provision of basic amenities.

“Challenges facing public sector audit have no national limitations. Supreme Audit Institutions across the world are facing various challenges which are their independence, encompassing financial and administrative independence,” he stressed.

Some participants at the forum also believed that government at all levels had roles to play in ensuring good governance.

The Chairman of Nigeria’s House of Representative’s Committee on Public Accounts, Chinda Ogundu, pointed out that corruption could only thrive where auditors fail to deploy expertise in the profession.

“The office of the Auditor General is not empowered to take very strong punitive measures.

“We want to tighten that. We are talking about anti-corruption today and I think that without punishment, it will be difficult for the anti-corruption war to be successful,” Ogundu emphasised.

In her remark, the Auditor General of Sierra Leone, Lara Taylor Pearce, wondered how corruption could be curbed by those who she said were at the vanguard of ensuring that same was checked.

“This things do happen but if no concrete information is brought to the attention of the leaders then of course nothing will happen,” she said.

For the next few days the experts will be deliberating on how to improve transparency and accountability, especially in the public sector.

Many will be watching to see if decisions reached at the annual AFROSAI-E Governing Board meeting will translate into improving auditing processes in Africa.