The INTOSAI Development Initiative (IDI) and the African Organisation of Supreme Audit Institutions (AFROSAI-E1) have entered a new phase of collaboration with the federal Office of the Auditor General of Somalia (OAGS). The Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs supports the project financially with 7,4 million NOK for 2021-2025.
The main goal of the project is to enable the OAGS to implement key strategic priorities for 2021-2025. Peer based technical support will be provided in several areas, including on-the-job guidance to improve the quality and coverage of the annual financial and compliance audits. Peers will also train OAGS staff in forensic audit methodology as well as on auditing of information systems.
To enable audit impact, a prioritised area of support will be stakeholder engagements. The OAGS intends to increase awareness on how public sector auditing works and creates value for both Ministries and Parliament. The OAGS will also be supported in its ongoing technical collaboration with the Auditor General offices in each of the Federal Member States.
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
Auditor General of Somalia, |
Ambassador Gunnar Holm, |
AFROSAI-E CEO, |
IDI Director General, |
To further grow the organisation, guidance will be provided for professional development, digitalization and internal governance systems. The support will be provided by experienced staff in IDI and AFROSAI-E as well as peers from Supreme Audit Institutions (SAIs) in the region. The SAIs of Uganda, Malawi and Turkey will provide resource persons.
“We in OAGS have benefitted greatly from peer support over the last years, and are glad this unique collaboration can continue. Together with our peers and the financial support from the Norwegian embassy, I am sure we can achieve great results also over the next years,” says Mr. Mohamed Ali, Auditor General of Somalia.
“The federal audit office of Somalia has delivered important audit results over the last years, and demonstrated its key role in promoting good governance in Somalia,” says the Norwegian Ambassador, Mr. Gunnar Andreas Holm. “Our expectation is that the OAGS will continue developing as an institution so there is an independent, sustainable and strong external audit function in Somalia. We believe a modernised legal framework for the OAGS will be an important step to ensure this.”
“AFROSAI-E serves all English-speaking SAIs in the region, and we are impressed by how the OAGS has developed over the last years, despite the difficult environment they operate in. We are excited about how the OAGS is digitalizing its audit processes using the AFROSAI-E tool. The collaboration with other partners, peers and donors works very well in the OAGS and they stand out as a regional star of coordination,” says Ms Meisie Nkau, CEO of AFROSAI-E.
“We in IDI are grateful to MFA Norway for the grant as it enables us to continue support building on the tremendous progress by the OAGS from 2018 to 2020,” says IDI Director General Mr. Einar Gørrissen. “We are experiencing a great dynamic between the SAI and peers, and over the next years we will do our best to enable the OAGS to succeed in its ambitious plans for improving both audits and becoming a more effective organization.”
For more info about the project, see the presentation at the IDI webpage Somalia – OAGS Peer Support Project 2021-22 (idi.no) or contact the IDI Project Manager Jostein F. Tellnes (
[1] AFROSAI-E is the African Organisation of English Speaking Supreme Audit Institutions (based in Pretoria, South Africa).