US$1Million Needed To Audit Gov’t’s Entities

-GAC Asserts

By T. Saye Goinleh

Authorities at the General Auditing Commission (GAC) have announced that in order to carry out a total audit of all government ministries and agencies in the country, the agency needs not less than one million United States dollars to conduct the process.

According to the GAC, since it has the statutory mandate to ensure transparency and accountability in the public sector, the exercise was expedient because financial transactions at all levels in governmental structures across the country are to be keenly scrutinized by the organization.

This pronouncement was made on Thursday, June 28, 2018 at GAC’s “1st Forum’’ involving financial representatives from various government ministries and agencies as well as heads of all Liberia’s integrity bodies and international partnering organizations which took place at the TM Mall Conference Hall, Coconut Plantation on Mamba Point.

The forum was held under the theme: “Enhancing Government’s Developmental Agenda by Promoting Accountability and Transparency in the use of Public Resources’’.

In a Power Point presentation, Foday Kiazolu, one of the deputy auditor-generals at the GAC told the gathering that the new plan of appraisal is targeting a total of one hundred and five entities of central government that are expected to be visited during the process.

Kiazolu said with the responsibility of the GAC to conduct stocktaking at line ministries and units of government, it also incumbent upon them to willingly open their doors and cooperate with the teams of auditors that will be out and about in the fields so that the job can be done in an efficient and effective manner.

Two top brass of government attended the forum briefly and made separate remarks including House Speaker Dr. Bhofal Chambers and Finance Minister Samuel D. Tweh who pledged their support for the GAC in the discharge of her mandate.

Other heads of integrity institutions of government who also formed part of the meeting made different presentations like Dorbor Jallah of the Public Procurement and Concession Commission (PPCC), Cllr. James Verdier, Chairman, Liberia Anti-Corruption Commission (LACC), a representative from the Internal Audit Agency (IAA) and also representative of the Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU).

Earlier in a welcome remark and overview of the GAC, the Auditor-General of Liberia, Madam Yusador S. Gaye called on all heads of ministries and agencies of government to consider audit as a necessary process and not deem the Commission as an enemy. She said audit in any given country is a procedure to ensure transparency and accountability in all spheres and sectors of the state.

The program was also graced by Swedish Ambassador to Liberia, Madam Ingrid Wetterqvist, representative of the European Union, the United Nations Development Program and the African Development Bank.

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