Internal auditors at MMDAs urged to strengthen control systems
Ms Mavis Ama Frimpong, Deputy Eastern Regional Minister, has urged Internal Auditors at Ministries, Assemblies, Departments and Agencies to strengthen their checks and control systems to reduce waste and corruption in public financial administration.
She said waste, as seen in the annual Auditor-General’s report and reports from the Judgment Debt commission, showed that the Internal Audit Units at the various departments in the country had more work to do.
According to Ms Frimpong, reports showed that funds were mostly not embezzled but were rather misappropriated or misapplied, saying, that was an indictment on the part of the internal auditors who were supposed to ensure that funds were used for the intended purposes.
She was speaking at the opening ceremony of the Conference of Association of Internal Auditors, in the public sector in Koforidua.
The Deputy Minister said Internal Auditors were supposed to be part of the various assemblies’ management to ensure prudent application of funds, adding they must be checks on the Chief Executives and other leaders at any public offices to manage and reduce waste in the public sector.
She also urged them to do Human Resource and Performance Audit to ensure that people received salaries for work done.
Ms Frimpong said besides the physical waste and corruption, people were taking salaries for no job done which, according to her, culminated in the waste at the public sector and therefore urged the internal auditors to be interested in that area.
Mr Bertrand Russell Quaye, the Human Resources Director of the Internal Audit Agency (IAA), urged the auditors to be independent to help ensure transparency and diligence in the financial management system.
He noted that often there was conflict between safeguarding the jobs of the Internal Auditors and doing strictly what the job required and called on the Association to collectively address such pertinent issues to improve control and checks in their respective work places without fear or favour.
Mr Quaye said the Local Government Service Secretariat had approved the revised scheme of Service for Internal Auditors within the public sector and urged them to engage in pre-auditing at the assemblies to guarantee value for money in their financial transactions.
The Eastern Regional President of the Association, Alhaji Ridwan Kokroko, said membership of the association included heads of Internal Auditors Units from all the 10 Regional Coordinating Councils (RCC), Metropolitan, Municipal, District Assemblies, and departments and agencies.
He said as part of the Agenda, the conference would discuss the approved revised scheme of service for internal auditors, their constitution and other pertinent issues hindering their performance as well as election for new national executives.
Source: GNA