Tanzania urges African auditors to follow international standards

By The guardian reporter

International Organisation of Supreme Audit Institutions (INTOSAI)

The Deputy Auditor General, Francis Mwakapalila, has called on colleagues in sub-Saharan Africa to work in line with the international auditing standards for the effective use of public resources in their respective countries.

He made the appeal in Arusha when addressing the International Organisation of Supreme Audit Institutions (INTOSAI) Development Initiatives (IDI) workshop on facilitating International Standards of Supreme Audit Institutions (ISSAI) implementation.

Organised by INTOSAI in collaboration with the National Audit Office of Tanzania (NAOT), the training involved audit managers from 24 English-speaking countries.
"As auditors, we should take our personal initiatives to improve our understanding, taking into account that things have been changing on daily basis.

I urge auditors in developing nations, to ensure they take training as part and parcel of their daily activities," he said.

According to the official, audit is an important financial control tool employed by the public to safeguard itself against fraud, extravagance and more importantly to bring credibility to the audited.

"This is what makes auditors important. But, they can perform well only if they are well-equipped with new and emerging skills and knowledge in the sector," said Mwakapalila.

"Implementing international standards will bring uniformity in quality of audit, enhance credibility of the audit reports and ensure the professionalism of the Supreme Audit Institutions," he said, commending the role played by IDI in supporting the developing countries to implement ISSAIs.

"I hope SAIs will improve quality of audits in our countries and bolster good governance in public resources," he said.

Archana Shirsant, Assistant Director General of IDI, said the forum provides a platform for auditors to share experiences on how to improve auditing activities in their respective countries.

She implored the needs for auditors to adhere to professionalism when performing their duties.

Based in Norwegian capital Oslo, the IDI works with the capacity development in public sector audit institutions referred to as Supreme Audit Institutions (SAIs) in developing countries around the world.

The workshop is part of the IDI's ongoing 'ISSAI implementation initiative or 3i programme' which is a global programme aimed at supporting about 140 SAIs of developing countries around the world in implementing international standards. 

SOURCE: THE GUARDIAN