BY MARILYN KING
232NEWS, FREETOWN
The Audit Service Sierra Leone, on Thursday 1st February 2024, engaged the media on their Auditor’s General Report. This event was held at the Audit Service Sierra Leone office in Freetown.
According to the acting Auditor General of Audit Service Sierra Leone, Abdul Aziz, one of the fundamental pillars of the credible and professional side is stakeholders’ engagement and communication. He furthered that they as Audit Service believed that they should prioritize that pillar because the work that they are doing is not for Audit Service but for Sierra Leoneans. The media, he said are partners in development and highlights that the media plays an important for the development of Sierra Leoneans.
He however emphasized the important role the Audit Service performs for the development of Sierra Leoneans.
Abdul Aziz maintained that they should work as partners with the media in development, which was all the more reason why the meeting was held.
Citing the 1991 Constitution of Sierra Leone, he said that they are responsible for the Audit of all government departments, ministries, and Agencies and for them to implement that mandate they had to undertake financial statement Audits, compliance Audits, and performance for value for money. He went on to explain how the various audits were done.
The Training Manager of Audit Service Sierra Leone, Philip Goba, said the report has five chapters, which are the general-purpose finance statement, public enterprises, commissions and general project, Local councils.
He continued that each chapter starts with a main point and under the main point they have what they examined, and what they found.
He said what they found will give an overview of the entire chapter.
The Assistant Auditor General of Audit Service Sierra Leone, Morie Lansana on his part said that one service delivery issues may turn the whole financial issues like cash loss.
He said they had issues of expenditure management that have not been adequately supported because the law is very clear on it, that for every expenditure one must have adequately supporting documentation to explained the purpose for which the expenditure was made as intended by parliament.
He furthered that this year the contract manager that they focus on, was verification, administration of contract, and under procurement they looked at contract management.
The senior communication specialist of Audit Service Sierra Leone, Martin Sandi said they are expecting the collaboration to move on.
He continued that they want the media to get more on the Auditor General’s report by giving more information to the public.
He furthered that they want the media to support the Audit Service in promoting transparency and accountability by giving accurate information to the public.
He said the public relies on the media.
He concluded that they want the media to follow up on the issues in the report especially with regards implementation of Audit recommendations.
