Ethiopia Auditor General: ARISE Workshop for Strengthening African SAIs

• A three-day workshop in Addis Ababa is focusing on strengthening collaboration and effectiveness among African Supreme Audit Institutions.
• Ethiopia's Auditor General Meseret Damtie highlighted the necessity of robust SAIs for accountable governance and sound public financial management in Africa.
• The African Regional Initiative for Strengthening Effectiveness (ARISE) promotes peer support and collaboration to achieve sustainable audit outcomes.
• The INTOSAI Development Initiative (IDI) representative, Muhammed Dabo, stressed that sustainable SAI improvements require strong systems, leadership, and capable personnel beyond technical training.
• The ARISE program, supported by Norad, provides long-term bilateral assistance to SAIs in challenging African environments, focusing on audit quality and governance.

For entities operating within or engaging with African public sectors, this translates into an imperative for robust internal controls and strict adherence to financial regulations.

A significant three-day capacity development workshop is currently underway in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, bringing together key stakeholders to focus on enhancing the robustness and longevity of public-sector auditing across the African continent. The primary objective of this gathering is to foster greater collaboration and improve the overall effectiveness of these vital institutions. This initiative underscores a concerted drive towards more transparent and accountable governance structures within African nations.

During the opening remarks, Ethiopia's Auditor General, Meseret Damtie, articulated the critical importance of strengthening African Supreme Audit Institutions (SAIs). She emphasized that robust SAIs are indispensable for cultivating accountable governance, ensuring sound public financial management across Africa, and ultimately contributing to sustainable development throughout the region. Damtie further highlighted that achieving improved audit quality, bolstering institutional capacity, and fostering strong collaborative ties are fundamental prerequisites for audit bodies to successfully execute their mandates. The workshop itself is designed to clarify operational roles, refine project management and facilitation competencies, and facilitate the exchange of initial implementation experiences from the program.

Central to these discussions is the African Regional Initiative for Strengthening Effectiveness (ARISE), which Auditor General Meseret Damtie described as embodying a spirit of peer support and collective effort. She stressed that sustained positive outcomes from ARISE depend heavily on cooperation among all involved parties, including participating institutions, program coordinators, peer SAIs, and various development partners. Damtie drew a parallel between ARISE's foundational principles of cooperation and shared responsibility and Ethiopia's "Medemer" philosophy, which champions synergy, collective contributions, and the pursuit of common objectives. This philosophical alignment reinforces the program's emphasis on partnerships and joint endeavors to elevate public-sector accountability throughout Africa, thereby strengthening African Supreme Audit Institutions ARISE.

Muhammed Dabo, representing the INTOSAI Development Initiative (IDI), further elaborated on the requirements for achieving lasting improvements within Supreme Audit Institutions. He asserted that mere technical training is insufficient; sustainable progress necessitates the establishment of strong institutional systems, effective leadership, a capable workforce, and the organizational agility to manage change. Dabo underscored the complementary nature of the roles played by beneficiary SAIs, peer institutions, regional bodies, and development partners, all united by the shared goal of creating stronger, more effective, and sustainable SAIs. This comprehensive approach is crucial for enhancing African regional audit effectiveness.

The ARISE program, implemented by IDI with financial backing from the Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation (Norad) for the 2025-2028 period, is specifically designed to provide long-term, SAI-led bilateral support to Supreme Audit Institutions operating in challenging environments across Africa. Its core focus areas include improving audit quality, enhancing institutional governance, refining strategic planning, and strengthening stakeholder engagement. This targeted support aims to significantly bolster public financial management in Africa, leading to increased scrutiny and enforcement of financial regulations.

The ongoing efforts to strengthen African Supreme Audit Institutions through initiatives like ARISE signal a future where public financial management in Africa will be subject to more rigorous oversight. For entities operating within or engaging with African public sectors, this translates into an imperative for robust internal controls and strict adherence to financial regulations. The emphasis on SAI capacity development workshop outcomes, such as applied lessons and practical solutions, indicates a commitment to tangible improvements that will mitigate compliance risks and foster greater accountability across the continent.

Lawyers and compliance officers advising entities operating in or with African public sectors should anticipate increased scrutiny and enforcement of financial regulations due to strengthened Supreme Audit Institutions and collaborative initiatives like ARISE. This necessitates robust internal controls and adherence to public financial management standards to mitigate compliance risks.

Source: Original reporting via ENA