The Regional Programme to Strengthen the Mandates of Supreme Audit Institutions has been launched by the African Development Bank (www.AfDB.org) and the Government of Cameroon. On June 21, 2022, a ceremony was conducted in Yaoundé, Cameroon, during which the launch occurred. As chair of the Regional Training Council of Supreme Audit Institutions of Sub-Saharan Francophone Africa, Mbah Acha Rose Fomundam, the Cameroonian Minister Delegate at the Presidency in charge of Superior Audit, presided over the meeting.
The nations involved in the initiative include Cameroon, Chad, Mali, Niger, and Togo.
Senior government officials participated in the event. They included the head of the Supreme Court of Chad’s court of auditors, Mali’s inspector general of public services, and a representative of Togo’s first court of auditors president. A representative of the International Organization of Supreme Audit Institutions and the First President of the Niger’s Court of Auditors both participated in the sessions via videoconference. A delegation from the African Development Bank also participated in the launch and many events that were conducted from June 21 to June 23, 2022.
A capacity-building workshop for personnel of the Regional Training Council of Supreme Audit Institutions of Sub-Saharan Francophone Africa and focal points of supreme audit institutions taking part in the programme was held in conjunction with the launch event.
The project, which has obtained funding from the African Development Bank in the amount of $2.53 million, aims to increase the accountability and openness of public financial management. Additionally, it intends to support the professionalisation of more public-sector accountants and auditors and greater standards and tool harmonisation. Strengthening the institutional, professional, and human capabilities of top audit institutions while adopting a gender perspective is one of the program’s key objectives.
Additionally, it improves the organisational capabilities of institutions that do ultimate audits as well as regional coordination and important stakeholder collaborations. The programme also aims to create a network of sectoral specialists at the continental and regional levels.
“The challenges are many, covering the auditing of revenues, public spending, and the financial statements of central government and its branches. The project will support the Regional Training Council of Supreme Audit Institutions of Sub-Saharan Francophone Africa, which has a mandate to strengthen the capacities of audit institutions and external audit bodies,” said Sekou Keita, manager of the African Development Bank’s Fiduciary Services and Inspection Department.
“I would like to reiterate the readiness of the African Development Bank Group to work with its regional member countries to implement one of its main mandates, to strengthen the financial management of African countries through support for national bodies involved in the management of public finances,” he added.
The workshop on capacity-building centred on four themes. The first included disbursement procedures, general principles, how to prepare payment requests using bank forms, and the requirements for expenditures that may be funded by bank loans.
The second topic was procurement, with an emphasis on the fundamental ideas and real-world examples of procuring products and services.
The third theme was monitoring and assessment, which included the requirement for a specific unit with the right equipment and enough people and financial resources.
The fourth and final theme, which focused on financial management, gave participants and programme implementation personnel an overview of its foundations and requirements.
François Samadingar Ndoubahidi, an advisor in the Financial and Budgetary Affairs Control Section of the Supreme Court of Chad, said, “The training was very satisfying, because we learned a lot. It was an opportunity, as a local team, to better equip ourselves to carry out this project, which is of great importance to our institution.”
The transmission of the procurement plan, the filing of the general procurement notice, and a review of the workplan and budget for 2022–2023 are other subjects that will be covered at a future session.