A one (1)-day capacity-building training workshop was organized by the Internal Audit Agency for Secretaries of Statutory Audit Committees in various categories of Public Institutions from the 13th to 16th August, 2024 at the office of the Agency.
The training was organized to enhance the competencies and skills of Secretaries serving on Audit Committees considering its critical function for effective financial management in public institutions and to help them deliver on their mandates.
Most Secretaries appointed to serve on Audit Committees usually have no formal orientation or training and understanding of the dictates of their mandate, therefore, the training to boost their capacities to enable them deliver effectively.
The training exposed participants to:
i. Standard public administration procedures, practices and requirements for the conduct of meetings and report writing to support Audit Committees.
ii, The reporting templates to be used by Audit Committees in submitting annual reports to the President, Parliament, Auditor-General and Director-General under the PFM Act 2016 (Act 921).
iii. The policy, Institutional and legal framework supporting the work of the Audit Committees and Public Financial Management in Ghana.
iv. The requirements of the National Corporate Governance Code of Ghana and operations of the Committees.
v. Their roles, responsibilities and expectations under the PFM Act 2016 (Act 921) and
vi. Writing and secretarial skills to effectively support Audit Committees in minutes and record keeping.
Dr. E. O. Osae, the Director-General of the Agency, opening the training welcomed all to the workshop. Addressing participants, he outlined the objectives of the training and noted that the training was not for Secretaries but the Secretariat of the Audit Committee adding that whatever knowledge acquired should be passed on to all who support the Secretariat with their work.
He spoke on the importance of minutes writing and its legality and reiterated the need for the Secretary to be abreast with the functions of the committee and their roles expected under the PFM Act 2016 (Act 921) to empower them.
Participants were taken through the development of a post training action plan at the end of the training and presented with certificates.
