Singapore meeting sets pace for audit practices in the Commonwealth

Internal auditors and managers from 24 Commonwealth member countries are in Singapore, attending a two-week advanced course on improving management of expenditure in public institutions.

The training, taking place at the Civil Service College from 21 January to 1 February 2008, is delivered jointly between Commonwealth Secretariat and the Government of Singapore.

Speaking ahead of the commencement of the course, Jacqueline Wilson, Director of the Secretariat’s Governance and Institutional Development Division (GIDD), which is leading the programme, said the training is part of the division’s integrated package aimed at enhancing capacity in developing member countries.

During the training, participants will learn from Singapore’s excellent public sector internal controls and internal audit practices, as well as share country experiences and international good practice.

“Capacity enhancement of public institutions on expenditure management is part of GIDD’s core mandate,” Ms Wilson added.

“We have provided an integrated package of support to focus the attention of member governments on expenditure control – a key barometer in measuring transparency and accountability in public expenditure management.”

Kaifala Marah, a Public Expenditure Management Adviser in GIDD, said support has been provided in the past to bolster the control environment in member countries.

He pointed out that the Commonwealth has recently published two leading works to support reform initiatives, namely, ‘Frameworks for Internal Control and Audit’ and ‘Internal Control and Audit, Case Studies: Ghana, Seychelles and Singapore’.

In recognition of the public sector’s centrality to democracy and good governance, the Secretariat delivers institutional capacity-building programmes to strengthen public sector institutions and effectively position member countries within the rapidly changing global environment.

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