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Promoting And Enhancing The Auditor-General’s Office In Sierra Leone

26 February 2004

The effectiveness of the Office of the Auditor-General in Sierra Leone depends on the extent to which proper financial management structures are in place across the country's government bodies and other institutions with the responsibility of accounting for public funds.

This was one of the main issues acknowledged by some 120 participants at a four-day workshop and seminar on the role of the Auditor-General in Sierra Leone, from 9 to 13 February 2004. The seminar was sponsored jointly by the Government of Sierra Leone and the Commonwealth Secretariat's Governance and Institutional Development Division. Funding was provided by the Commonwealth Fund for Technical Co-operation.

Participants included government officials, public servants and representatives from chieftaincies, parastatals, non-governmental organisations, the press and civil society.

Recognising that accountability and governance was an issue of interest and concern for the citizens and Government of Sierra Leone, the seminar explored ideas for more effective involvement of civil society and strategic partners in promoting the work of the Auditor-General and in enhancing its effectiveness.

Strategies identified for increasing civil society participation included allowing more access to information, notification of annual reports through the press, and creation of a hotline and publications for facilitating information flow.

Speaking at the opening of the workshop, Sierra Leone's Auditor-General Anna Caesar said, "The necessity for such a seminar was born out of the problems the department encountered with most of its auditees. Most of them were unaware of the auditor's role, or theirs, with regard to accountability and transparency."

Drawing attention to provisions in the 1998 Audit Service Act for penalties for auditors and members of the Audit Service who are 'tempted to default', Ms Caesar said, "Please remember that the final objective of this workshop is to instil proper financial discipline in Sierra Leone for the benefit of all of us, its citizens."

The seminar acknowledged the lack of awareness about the role and functions of the Office of the Auditor-General as the supreme audit institution. It provided a platform for public servants, other key stakeholders and representatives of civil society, especially the press, to discuss the role and functions, and to promote understanding of their own responsibilities in reporting and promoting better accountability of government finances.

Participants identified and proposed strategies for strengthening the work and building capacity for increased effectiveness of the Office of the Auditor-General, especially in the areas of training, public relations, building of partnerships, and information sharing.

The Auditors-General from The Gambia and Ghana as well as a consultant from the UK Audit Office based with the Auditor-General's Office in Ghana participated in the seminar, and their presentations served as cases for comparative analysis.

The seminar was one element in a range of assistance the Commonwealth is providing to Sierra Leone to assist the country's recovery from a decade of civil war. Other Secretariat assistance has included advisory support to the Ombudsman Office and the National Electoral Commission, the assignment of judges from Commonwealth countries to the High Court, and the development of an affordable housing construction industry and small and medium-scale enterprises in the post-conflict environment.