News
IDI expands partnerships and enhances support for public accountability in Africa and Central Asia
20/01/2026
Venue: Kinshasa, Congo DRC
Language: English
Venue: South Sudan
Language: English
20 January 2026, Oslo, Norway – The INTOSAI Development Initiative (IDI) has entered into new multi-year partnerships with the Swiss State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO) and the Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation (Norad), securing funding that will enable IDI to expand vital support to Supreme Audit Institutions (SAIs) from 2026.
“This support is a strong vote of confidence in the work IDI and our partners are doing around the world. It tells us that building strong, independent audit institutions matters,” said Einar Gørrissen, IDI Director General. “When SAIs are able to do their job well, public money is used better and trust in government grows.”
Sustainable development depends on strong national institutions. For every school built, clinic supplied or road repaired, public funds must be managed well. SAIs play a critical role in ensuring this happens, but in many countries SAIs are limited by finite resources, weak systems, or lack of engagement from institutions and citizens.
The newly confirmed commitments – CHF 950,000 (USD 1.18 million) from SECO and NOK 46 million (USD 4.56 million) from Norad – will allow IDI to address these gaps and continue to support SAIs, helping them build the skills and systems needed to carry out their mandate effectively.
In Central Asia, SECO’s support will enable IDI to launch a new four-year regional programme for the SAIs of Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan. Building on progress already achieved through IDI’s Global SAI Accountability Initiative (GSAI) and earlier SECO-funded programmes, these activities will strengthen leadership and governance, improve audit quality, support digital ways of working, and help SAIs engage more effectively and independently with parliaments, civil society, and the media.
“At SECO, we partner with IDI because they are deeply embedded in the world of Supreme Audit Institutions. They understand SAIs, their needs, and how best to support them,” said Philippe Brügger, SECO Programme Manager. “Through our collaboration, we strengthen SAIs’ strategic management and independence, two foundations for strong economic framework conditions and for SECO’s vision of sustainable economic growth.”
In parallel, Norad’s funding will support the expansion of IDI’s bilateral portfolio for SAIs in challenging environments, focusing on countries affected by fragility and institutional constraints. It will build on IDI’s long-standing partnerships in countries such as Somalia, South Sudan, and the Democratic Republic of Congo, while enabling new country engagements where needs are greatest. Through long-term, SAI-led support, IDI will help these institutions embed change, from better audit methods to stronger follow-up on government action.
“Through the signing of a new agreement between Norad and IDI, Norway has extended and expanded its partnership with IDI to support to Supreme Audit Institutions (SAIs) in challenging environments. This reflects IDI’s proven impact in supporting SAIs, thereby strengthening public accountability and domestic resource mobilization, and the agreement focuses on Africa, which remains a priority region for Norway’s development efforts,” said Peter Ringstad, Acting Head of Norad’s section for governance.
“Independent SAIs are essential to building the trust and institutional capacity needed for countries to manage public revenues effectively, which enables governments to improve service delivery and advance sustainable development,” Ringstad continued. “Through long-term, context-sensitive support, IDI is helping SAIs become stronger institutions that can drive real change in how governments and public resources serve citizens.”
IDI will continue to support SAIs as agents of change and enable them to become strong and trustworthy institutions that positively impact how public resources are managed. These new commitments reinforce IDI’s role as a global partner for Supreme Audit Institutions and a trusted provider of long-term, impact-oriented capacity development.
Together, SECO, Norad, and IDI are investing in institutions that safeguard public trust—so that every public dollar delivers real value for people’s lives.
Mr. Martin Saladin, SECO Head of Promotion Activities Directorate/ former Head of Operations, and IDI Director General signing the SECO agreement
Mr. Peter Ringstad, NORAD Senior Advisor, and Mr. Einar Gørrissen, IDI Director General formalising the ARISE agreement
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For media enquiries:
INTOSAI Development Initiative:
Media contact: Carolyn Lillehovde, Strategic Communications Manager, IDI communications@idi.no +47 900 71 207
The African Regional Initiative for Strengthening SAI Effectiveness (ARISE) is a multi-country capacity development programme implemented by the INTOSAI Development Initiative (IDI) with support from the Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation (Norad) from 2025 to 2028.
ARISE provides long-term, SAI-led bilateral support to Supreme Audit Institutions (SAIs) operating in challenging environments in Africa. The programme focuses on strengthening institutional capacity, audit quality, and stakeholder engagement to enable SAIs to fulfil their constitutional oversight mandate and contribute to accountable governance, improved public financial management, and sustainable development.
Mr. Peter Ringstad, NORAD Senior Advisor, and Mr. Einar Gørrissen, IDI Director General formalising the ARISE agreement
NORAD Team visiting IDI’s premises in Oslo
To enable Supreme Audit Institutions in challenging environments in Africa to strengthen their capacity and performance through scaled-up, SAI-led and strategically targeted support, thereby contributing to accountable governance, economic growth, and sustainable development.
SAIs in challenging environments often face constrained institutional capacity, weak audit systems, limited follow-up of audit recommendations, and restricted access to reliable financial and performance data. Progress in such contexts is typically incremental and can easily regress without sustained support.
ARISE responds to these challenges by providing predictable, long-term, and context-sensitive support that focuses on institutional change rather than isolated technical interventions.
Delivery modalities include peer-to-peer support from experienced SAIs, long-term non-resident advisors where required, on-the-job mentoring linked to real audit work, and targeted training aligned with institutional priorities. The programme applies flexible and adaptive management approaches to respond to evolving country contexts.
Over the programme period, ARISE is expected to contribute to stronger SAI independence in law and practice, improved quality and timeliness of audit reports, more systematic follow-up of audit recommendations, enhanced public trust in SAIs, and improved oversight of public resources and service delivery.
Venue: Madagascar
Language: English
