Gambia Takes Steps to Professionalise Government Auditors and Accountants
On the 5 December 2023, the Republic of The Gambia made a significant move towards enhancing accountability and transparency in the use of public resources by signing a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the African Professionalisation Initiative (API). The MoU was signed by the Gambia Institute of Chartered Accountants (GICA); the National Audit Office of Gambia (NAO) and the API.
The event was witnessed by the Minister of Public Service, Administrative Reforms, Policy Coordination and Delivery and other senior officials from key national institutions as well as development partners.
Keynote Address
Presiding over the ceremony, the Hon Minister for Public Service, Administrative Reforms, Policy Coordination and Delivery, Hon Baboucarr Bouy articulated the significance of professionalising of government staff. He noted that, to achieve better outcomes through sustainable Public Finance Management (PFM) reforms, a key ingredient for success is the professionalisation of Finance, Accounting and Auditing staff in the Public Sector. He noted,
“There is need to rebalance so that focus is not just on investing in systems and processes but also on quality people because the competencies, skills, and judgement of professional accountants and auditors drive credibility and effectiveness of the PFM initiatives. There is also need to build PFM reforms into regulations and policy to achieve stability and predictability that gives investors confidence. The API will help to achieve the civil service impact agenda.”
Auditor General, Accountant General, GICA and API Remarks
The Auditor General of Gambia, Modou Ceesay has played a critical role in the mobilisation leading up-to the signing of the MOU to professionalise the Gambian public sector, by providing both advice and resources to ensure success. He observed that professionalisation will improve the quality of the audit reports. It will also promote consistency and enhance uniformity thereby enabling comparability of audit recommendations across entities and sectors. Additionally, professionalisation will help to enhance the independence and credibility of SAI Auditors.
The Accountant General, Madam Agnes Macaulay is an ardent champion for professionalisation. Her office has been part of the engagements with the API and other stakeholders, leading up to the MoU signing ceremony. She highlighted that public sector professionalisation will help to address the current challenge where the few government accountants that have been professionalised have taken up employment away from government creating a recurring human resource challenge. She noted that Professionalisation will be a driver for the realisation of sustainable training and quality staffing of professionals within the public sector, thereby realising improved quality of service delivery for the citizens.
In his remarks, the GICA President Mr. Amadou Sanneh, applauded the API as an initiative that will drive socio economic transformation through enhanced accountability for public resources. He thanked the Government of Gambia for supporting professionalisation and pledged that GICA would work to ensure the initiative is a success. The GICA CEO, Baba Barrow noted that to realise the national development agenda of the Gambia, there is need to professionalise government staff thereby realising a critical mass of policy makers. He noted that realising an increase in the number of competent and ethical public sector professionals is essential to the realisation of good finance governance that will in turn fuel socio economic development.
The API CEO, Evans Mulera underscored the critical role public sector professionals will play in informing public finance fiscal strategy by using the “cause and effect” principle to demonstrate how public expenditure drives national productivity (The Gross National Product – Defined as the goods and services produced by citizens of a country at home and abroad).
Objective of the Agreement
The primary objective of the MoU is to professionalize government auditors and accountants in Gambia, with the aim of achieving greater accountability and transparency in the management of public funds. This initiative is expected to contribute to the national socio-economic development of the country.
By partnering with the African Professionalisation Initiative, The Gambia aims to align its efforts with the African Union Agenda 2063 seven aspirations, as well as the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. Through the professionalization of government auditors and accountants, the country seeks to bolster its commitment to good governance, effective financial management, and sustainable development.
The signing of this MoU reflects the Gambia’s dedication to enhancing the professional standards of its public financial management systems. It is a crucial step towards fostering trust and confidence in the management of public resources, thereby paving the way for sustainable socio-economic progress.
This collaborative effort underscores the importance of building a cadre of highly skilled and ethical professionals who will play a pivotal role in ensuring transparency, accountability, and good governance within the public sector. The Gambia Institute of Chartered Accountants and the National Audit Office of Gambia are poised to work in tandem with the African Professionalisation Initiative to implement programs and initiatives aimed at upholding the highest standards of professionalism and integrity among government auditors and accountants.
The signing of this MoU marks a significant milestone in the journey towards achieving greater transparency and accountability in the Gambia’s public financial management. It is a testament to the country’s commitment to fostering a culture of professionalism and excellence within its public sector, ultimately contributing to sustainable national development.
About The API – Our Purpose (Objective)
The API is an independent non-profit organisation whose primary objective is to strengthen the capacity and knowledge base of accounting and auditing professionals in the African public sector to enhance accounting and auditing service delivery to the citizens of Africa.
The API Vision and Mission
Our Vision: An African public sector capacitated with competent, ethical and influential professionals who support accountability, transparency and good financial governance. Our Mission: To grow the capacity of accountancy professionals in the African public sector for enhanced service delivery.
The API Houses / Learning Programmes
You can learn offline from anywhere from your mobile device and update your records the next time you have access to the internet, and complete within 12 to 18 months.
Please choose below what may work for you and drop us an email on info@professionalisation.africa
Houses (Learning Programmes) |
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• House 1 – Incumbents (Experienced un-professionalised accountants and auditors)-Implemented |
• House 2 – Specialisation – Ready for occupation from 2024 |
• House 3 – Students – Ready for occupation in 2025 |
• House 4 – Micro credentials – Unique Areas of need by governments Asset management and Accounting; Performance audits etc. |
• House 5 – Continuing Professional Development (CPD) |
The API Partner Organisations
The API Learning Programmes aim to achieve the above institutional goal as a partnership between the accountancy profession (represented by the Pan African Federation of Accountants (“PAFA”)), accountants general or their equivalent (African Association of Accountants General – “AAAG”)), and supreme audit institutions or courts of auditors (represented by the English (“AFROSAI-E”) and French (“CREFIAF”) language sub-groups of the African Organisation of Supreme Audit Institutions (“AFROSAI”)).
Contact the API Team for more details: info@professionalisation.africa | www.professionalisation.africa