WINDHOEK – The Office of the Auditor-General (OAG) is conducting a five-day workshop aimed at harmonising and promoting sound relations between the OAG as supreme audit institution and the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Public Accounts (PAC).
The workshop also seeks to facilitate improvement of the quality of the OAG’s reports as aligned with the expectations of PAC.
A further aim is to plan effectively with PAC and other oversight committees by applying the tools and principles prescribed in a communication tool kit to be rolled out during the workshop.
The workshop, which is also being attended by delegates from South Africa and Zimbabwe, is expected to make recommendations on how audit reports and communication with PAC can be improved.
Officially opening the workshop yesterday the Auditor-General, Junias Kandjeke, observed that since OAG and PAC are mutually dependent in promoting accountability and transparency in the public sector, there is a critical need to communicate and support the PAC in a way that promotes the impact of audit reports.
Given that the purpose of the workshop is also to reflect on and adapt the PAC communication tool kit, he said it is important to build on the extensive knowledge of participants.
“Therefore, this workshop has been planned to be highly interactive and not lecture-oriented. The success of this event depends not only on the shared experience of the facilitators but also on the active sharing of ideas and experiences of all of us,” he explained.
At the same time, it is expected the workshop will also discuss certain key facilitation skills necessary for effective communication with internal and external stakeholders.
In terms of the Namibian Constitution, the Auditor-General reports to the National Assembly, while the audits are addressed to the Speaker of Parliament.
The Minister of Finance then tables the audit reports within a prescribed time after receipt, and failure to do so the Auditor-General has the power in terms of an Act of Parliament to have the reports tabled by the Speaker without delay.
Once an audit report has been tabled in the National Assembly it becomes a public document and it stands to be referred to the PAC for review.
By Albertina Nakale