By Josephine W. Lagawo
The Audit Service Sierra Leone has presented their budget for financial year 2025 to the Ministry of Finance officials, Non-State Actors, Civil Society, District Budget Oversight Committee and the Media of Nle 19,065,100,0M to strengthen them to do their auditing effectively.
Presenting the budget, the Acting Deputy Auditor’s General at Audit Service Sierra Leone Mohamed Juldeh Barrie said that the audit service is strengthening the capacity of their staff, attracting and retaining quality staff in line with the audit service Sierra Leone retention policy, training of staff locally and overseas in specialized courses.
Barrie pointed out that the establishment of a well-functioning of internet services audit unit which will increase access to necessary revenue related information in Ministries Department and Agencies which are increasingly becoming digital.
He said that they need increased coverage in specialized audits and to support non-state actors to track and follow audit report and to engage the public in this direction such as providing information and communications and education unit, continues to team up with non- state actors through town hall meetings, educating them on how they carry out their auditing on MDAs to the public on radio programs and joint collaboration.
He said that Audit Service has maintained 85% of Audit in 2023 and in 2024.
He highlighted that the five key deliverables which they took up in 2024 are audit of ministries Departments and Agencies (MDA’s) and embassies, audit of 22 local authorities, audit of donor funded projects, audit of public enterprises and audit general purpose financial statements.
Barrie further stated that future objectives for audit service Sierra Leone is that they will work closely with the government in implementing the agenda of the new direction on matters pertaining to accountability and transparency, they will continue to support government effort in its PFM reforms, through their collaboration with PAC.
“We will continue to ensure that penalties and sanctions are imposed on non- complying MDAs, increased implementation of audit recommendations through better tracking, making them clearer and more practical and support and punish stakeholders to act on them,” he noted.
He spoke about the challenges and plans they faced such as inadequate staff strengthen to undertake specialized audits (IS Audits etc.), internet connectivity problem in the provincial offices, inadequate budget ceiling.
He said the Ministry of Finance has given them Nle 25m for the completion of their building at Tower Hill and other Nle 15m put aside for the said building for 2025.
