Dr. Eric Oduro Osae, Director-General of the Internal Audit Agency inaugurated the Audit Committee of the Land Use and Spatial Planning Authority on 27th September, 2022.
Members of the Committee are Mr. Osei Atakora (ICAG Rep and Chairman), Ms. Jessie Addico (IAA Rep), Ms. Christiana Mawuena Donkor (IAA Rep). Mr. Jones Ofori-Boadu and Mr. Edwin Martey.
Mr. Chapman Owusu Sekyere, the Director for Social Planning of the Authority chaired the programme on behalf of the Acting Chief Executive Officer, Mr. Kojo Yeboah. He welcomed all to the inauguration and gave a brief on the Authority’s activities and the purpose for the meeting.
Dr. Osae in his address, thanked outgoing members for the good work they did at the Authority and tasked the new members to continue from where they left off. He informed members that their three (3) basic functions as a Committee are mandatory, advisory and supporting. The Committee is to support the institution to put in place good control systems. Dr. Osae mentioned that the Authority was the only institution under the Ministry mentioned in the Auditor-General’s Report and advised the Committee to work with Management to implement the recommendations. He detailed the Committee’s mandatory role of submitting an annual report indicating the extent of support they have given to Management in implementing recommendations in External and Internal Audit Reports. On the advisory role Dr. Osae tasked the Committee to be ambassadors and advocate for more resources for the institution and provide advice on the judicious use of resources to assist Management in the delivery of LUSPA’s mandate.
He informed members that as part of their roles, they are to support the Internal Audit Unit prepare Risk-Based Internal Audit plan, conduct quarterly audits and submit reports timely. The Director-General also updated members on the ongoing naming and shaming of defaulting institutions and a collaboration with the Ministry of Finance to apply the sanctions regime. He enumerated a number of outstanding issues and advised members of the Committee to work on them.
Dr. Osae informed the meeting of an upcoming nationwide capacity building programme by the Agency to train all Internal Auditors on the development of Risk-Based Internal Audit Plans and tasked Management to support the Internal Auditors at the Authority to attend. He added that the training will touch on the ESPV, Asset Declaration, Right to Information and the Data Protection Acts.
