How SAI Guinea’s gender audit extended to include access of women and people with disabilities to public decision-making bodies

When the Republic of Guinea’s supreme audit institution (SAI) began its audit in January 2023 to report on the government’s actions in addressing gender equality, the SAI auditors did not expect to measure the impact that one particularly committed woman would have on the subject of their audit.

As part of the performance audit of Sustainable Development Goal 5 on gender equality, Guinea’s Cour des Comptes interviewed Mrs. Massoud Barry, councillor and member of parliament in the country’s National Assembly (the Conseil national de Transition), and president of the Advocacy and Capacity Building Commission at the Caucus of Women Parliamentarians.  

Living with the disability of her two lower limbs, Massoud Barry, a graduate in Economics and Finance, is also the founding president of Organisation des Secours aux Handicapés to defend and promote the needs of people with disabilities. It has established several partnerships with non-governmental organisations such as Plan International, Amplify Chance, UNDP Guinea, AFD, Gray Paralympic Fund.

Ms. Barry advocates strongly for all people with disabilities, especially children who, through no fault of their own, can be excluded from society. Through her campaigning, a ramp for people with disabilities was installed in the very parliament building she works in and in the facilities of several other organisations.

As a result of their discussions with Massoud Barry, the aspect of access for people with disabilities was taken up by the SAI in their audit reporting on gender equality. While the results of the audit are still being processed, there is no doubt that these discussions have influenced an ongoing audit.

As the President of the Cour des Comptes says, ‘As auditors of government activities in critical areas such as gender, we must be alert to the way our stakeholders can change our perspectives and perhaps even the audit itself.’

Read Mrs. Massoud Barry’s profile here, created by Nantenin Magassouba, SAI Guinea and Aissatou Abdoulaye, SAI Cameroon/CREFIAF