The Ghana Audit Service has won the best performance audit report of the English-Speaking African Organisation of Supreme Audit Institutions (AFROSAI-E).
The Audit Service’s report dubbed: ‘Fleet Management of the National Ambulance Service’ was awarded the prize yesterday at the AFROSAI-E Strategic Review & 19th Governing Board Meeting in Accra.
The Auditor General of Sweden, Helena Lindberg, who announced the prize, said the winning audit report revealed problems with conflicts of interest, inefficiency, malfunction and arbitrariness in the use of payments.
The purpose of the audit, she said, was to ascertain whether measures put in place by the National Ambulance Service to manage its fleet were sustainable and provided a responsive medical service when needed.
“The report has a clear and logical structure, from audit scope and questions to criteria, findings and recommendations, and is well written so please join me in celebrating the Ghana Audit Service for their excellent work and for succeeding to maintain such a high quality in your work which you have proven by winning the award now for the second time in a row,” she said.
Ms Lindberg reminded the gathering of auditors from across the continent that the key in achieving their assignments was their independence, although independence rarely happened to a supreme audit institution by accident.
As a result, he said, auditors needed to excel in their own accountability and transparency to the stakeholders they served by demonstrating why they did their work, how they did it and that they did it well.
“Although, committed leaders are key in driving a positive change, it can be discouraging, and perhaps impossible, for individual heads of SAIs to succeed alone in getting the message about independence through,” she said.
The Auditor General, Johnson Akuamoah Asiedu, said the public was becoming more interested in audit results and auditors must, therefore, exhibit a high level of professionalism in the discharge of their assignments.
Mr Asiedu added that auditors must withhold judgements pending thoughtful consideration of all known and relevant facts and be alert to potential bias and other impediments in the exercise of professional judgements.
Source: myghanadaily
