IAA restructures audit committees of educational sector to enhance performance

The Internal Audit Agency (IAA) is working on the restructuring of audit committees of the educational sector to facilitate their inauguration and enhance their performance.

Dr Eric Oduro Osae, the Director-General, of IAA, said this during the mass inauguration of Internal Audit Committees for Health Sector Institutions under the Ghana Health Service across the country.

He said the Agency was also working with the Ghana Integrity Initiative to improve accountability and control systems in the education and health sectors to improve access by women and the vulnerable.

Virtual training for heads of internal audit units across the country on the Effective Use of the IAA website and ICT tools would be held today, May 10.

He said the IAA Board had institutionalised a quarterly media briefing on the state of the control systems in Public Sector institutions from the second quarter of 2023 to drum home the need for improved accountability.

Dr Osae said the ongoing payroll monitoring by the Fair Wages and Salaries Commission (FWSC) did not replace the submission of the monthly Electronic Salary Payroll Validation (ESPV) Internal Audit Report to the IAA as directed by the Ministry of Finance and Office of the President.

The IAA would, in the coming days, publish the names of defaulting institutions, he said.

Dr Osae urged public sector institutions to ensure the participation of audit committee members in the Entrance and Exit meetings of external auditors.

He encouraged them to ensure the submission of the monthly report on the deduction and payment of withholding taxes to the Ghana Revenue Authority.

He advised heads of public sector institutions to avoid recruitment, posting, promotion and reassignment or dismissal of heads of internal audit units without recourse to the IAA and the Audit Committee.