The National Internal Auditors Association of Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies (MMDAs) and Regional Coordinating Councils (RCCs) has appealed to the head of Services to upgrade their unit service into a department.
The President, Michael Ayivi made the call at the 7th Annual Congress themed Effective and Efficient Internal Auditing; The Panacea To Healthy Nation Building.
The event was held at Ho in the Volta Region.
Mr Ayivi said “Internal Audit is referred to as a unit in the Assembly and placed under the central Administration which is unacceptable and this should not continue therefore our plea is that, Head of Services we plead with you to work expeditiously to change the Internal Audit unit position to a department because we are referred to as unit, we are not recognised as heads of department and we are subordinated to the department for that matter, we plead with you to change our unit to department.”
Delivering a speech on behalf of the Volta Regional Minister Dr. Archibald Yao Letsa, Mr. Etornam Flolu James, MCE and NPP parliamentary candidate for Afadzato South also highlighted that the theme is timely and significant.
He underscored the critical role that the internal auditing plays in fostering transparency, accountability and good governance which are the bedrock for any thriving nation.
He added that, internal auditing is not merely a function of compliance and policing but it is a strategic tool that ensures the integrity of our financial and operational processes by identifying this, recommending improvement and ensuring that resources are use efficiently.
“Internal auditors helping the culture of accountability and transparency these intends strengthen public trust in our institutions and promote sustainable development.”
He noted that despite the progress MMDAs and the RCCs have made, they must acknowledge challenges the Internal Auditors face, such as limited resources, lack of independence, and sometimes inadequate support for management can tender the effectiveness of internal auditors.
Also, reading a speech on behalf of the Director General Internal Audit Agency Dr. Oduro Osae, Mr. Seth Anaglateh commended the internal auditors, stating that the internal auditing plays a crucial role in nation building by ensuring transparency, accountability and efficiency within organisation both public and private.
He highlighted a few points on how effective and efficient the internal auditing contribute to the healthy nation building.
He said that effective and efficient internal auditing promote accountability by ensuring that organisations are geared to regulations and ethical standards that foresters trust among key stakeholders, which can be achieved through the implementation of policies that ensure transparency in government actions and decisions making processes.