The Audit Committee of the Office of the Head of Civil Service was inaugurated by Dr. Eric Oduro Osae, Director-General of the Internal Audit Agency (IAA) on 8th August, 2022.
Members of the Committee are Mr. Nathan Yankey (Chairman and IAA Rep), Mr. Usman Abdul Razak (IAA Rep), Mr. Robert Kwanin (ICAG Rep), Mrs. Dina Hammond and Mr. Edwin Barnes (Representatives of the Civil Service Council).
Nana Kwasi Agyekum Dwamena, Head of OHCS in his opening address commended the outgoing Audit Committee and the Internal Auditor for their role in bringing the Service to where it is today. He spoke on the advice and counsel received and said he hoped the incoming Committee would emulate them and do even more.
Dr. Osae, addressing the meeting, said he was happy to be swearing in the Audit Committee in the wake of the Auditor-General’s Report. He said the Committee is provided for under the Public Financial Act as a high-level statutory Committee and had three main roles, mandatory, advisory and supporting. As part of the mandatory roles, the Director-General said the Committee is to support Management implement recommendations from Auditor-General’s reports, Internal Audit reports, directives from the Public Account Committee (PAC) of Parliament and recommendations from any monitoring reports from the Service. The Committee as part of its mandatory roles is also required to produce an annual report which indicates all the recommendations brought to its attention. The report, Dr. Osae indicated, is to be ready by 30th June of the subsequent year and copies submitted to the Office of the President, Parliament, the Auditor-General and the Director-General of IAA. Dr. Osae added that the Committee was coming in at a good time so as to further help reduce audit infractions as recorded in the Auditor General’s report (a 47.3% reduction in infractions between 2020-2021 in the MDA sector). He encouraged members to support the Service to enable it support Chief Directors of the various Ministries to put in place control systems for the upcoming audit.
On the advisory roles, Dr. Osae urged the members of the Committee to put their expertise at the disposal of the Service. He encouraged members to assist the Internal Auditor in the provision of advice and assurance to Management. He spoke on the movement from conventional pre-auditing to risk-based auditing and advised that a comprehensive audit of the system is done to resolve outstanding issues before External Auditors are admitted. He also encouraged the Committee to sit in Exit meetings of External Auditors in order to resolve audit infractions before the issuance of the Management Letter.
In concluding his address, Dr. Osae said his work is made easier when infractions are reduced and is happy with the Auditor-General’s report on the 47.3% reduction in infractions in MDAs and hoped it would come to a no infraction in the next report.
The Head of Service in his closing remarks, addressed remuneration in the Civil Service and its effect on performance and morale. He thanked all for coming and assured the support of leadership of the Service to the Committee.
