By Sinaroseta Palamo-Iosefo, Program Director, PASAI

PASAI’s HR Champions program

SAI Performance Measurement Framework assessments that we conducted under our last strategy identified that most of our developing member SAIs are not well-resourced to coordinate and manage human resource issues. These issues ranged from recruitment, appraisal and staff well-being to professional development and training.

As a result, we collaborated with experts from the Swedish National Audit Office (Swedish NAO) to enhance human resource capabilities in the PASAI region. This collaboration focused on developing skills at the individual staff level, the SAI-level and the regional level.

To develop capabilities at the individual and SAI-level, we delivered a regional HR Champions program over 18 months. The program aimed to create a group of staff capable of supporting their own SAIs in a self-sustaining model, minimising a reliance on external expertise for HR support.

Twelve staff from 8 SAIs [1] graduated from the program in November 2024 after completing tasks to solve issues in the various phases of the human resource management (HRM) cycle as depicted below.

Participants also completed a project in an HR area prioritised by their SAIs. The program was delivered through various modalities – online facilitated training, self-study, in country peer support and in-person workshops.

Success stories

Reflecting on their journeys, participants highlighted their knowledge of HR processes has progressed from little or none to now having a solid understanding. They acknowledged the importance of HR in helping the SAI establish effective systems and processes to manage its most valuable asset – its people. Through the program:

• three SAIs have developed an HR strategy

• three SAIs have enhanced their staff performance management processes by revising job profiles and developing competence frameworks

• one SAI has created its own HR manual

• another SAI has established an internal career pathway for performance auditors.

Some participants who were financial auditors noted that the new knowledge and skills they acquired have provided them with an alternative career path. Participants also learned about various aspects of staff wellness and how SAIs can foster a healthy working environment to keep staff members motivated and performing at their best.

Despite the time difference between our experts in Sweden and the Pacific SAIs, everyone involved was committed to the course resulting in a successful program. With newfound confidence, participants are now ready to take action to improve HR processes at their SAIs and in the region.

Collaboration is crucial

Building enduring SAI capabilities involves various players and requires resources which may not always be readily available to them. Hence, collaboration with the appropriate partners who share common goals fosters the sharing of knowledge, resources and expertise.

Various institutions in the PASAI and INTOSAI communities have contributed to our journey to build HR capabilities in the region. HR experts from the following organisations were invited to share their HR practices, experiences and tools:

• AFROSAI-E – employee lifecycle

• Audit Office of New South Wales, Australia – HR strategy and diversity & inclusion

• Court of Accounts of the Republic of Moldova – competence management

• INTOSAI Development Initiative – recruitment & onboarding

• Kiribati Audit Office – developing an HR strategy

• Office of the Auditor-General, Republic of Fiji – developing HR policies

• Office of the Auditor General Liberia – setting up an HR function

• Office of the Auditor-General, New Zealand – competency framework and training & development

By working together with the various partners listed above, we took advantage of each other’s strengths, pooled resources and innovated more effectively to achieve impact at the SAIs. Participating SAIs benefitted from the exchange of best practices through these collaborative efforts, enhancing the quality and efficiency of their HR processes. Through collaboration, we have built stronger networks, improved our adaptability and ultimately achieved our goal of building HR capabilities in the region more efficiently and sustainably.

Networking of PASAI and AFROSAI-E secretariats

To ensure that SAIs receive adequate support, it was essential that capacity development initiative providers were also well-resourced and capacitated. In collaboration with the Swedish NAO, a networking visit by some of our staff to the AFROSAI-E Secretariat took place in October 2024. Given we share the mission of strengthening SAI capabilities, the visit was highly informative resulting in mutual benefits for both organisations.

The 2 organisations discussed how they plan, implement, monitor and evaluate the support they provide to their member SAIs. By sharing knowledge about their programs, methodologies and available resources, both secretariats were able to explore ways to share resources and technical expertise in areas such as audit, communication and HR. They also addressed common challenges, such as managing donor and stakeholder expectations.

We gained a thorough understanding of the A-SEAT, [2] an audit management tool AFROSAI-E developed for SAI work with customisation possible for specific manuals and standards. Dialogue is ongoing regarding the use of this tool by our member SAIs.

What’s next in HR for our region?

A pool of HR resources is now in place that will support SAIs in the region to establish, embed and sustain HR practices. The HR Champions will play a critical role to lead, advise on and facilitate interventions to sustain HR capabilities at their SAIs but also to support us to deliver HR initiatives in the region. Six key roles that they have been equipped to deliver are depicted below.

In the next 5 years, we will deliver our ‘People and leadership’ program which aims to nurture excellence, build the competencies of staff at all levels and transform SAIs’ performance. The program will include online training, SAI-level support, peer support and regional seminars. We will continue to collaborate with relevant partners to transform SAIs so they can make a difference in the Pacific.

A series of online trainings will kick off in March 2025 with the topic ‘Understanding the employee lifecycle’. Look out for dates of upcoming training sessions in our quarterly newsletter.

References

[1] SAIs Fiji, FSM National, Guam, Kiribati, Marshall Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu and Vanuatu

[2] AFROSAI-E SAI Enhancement Audit Tool