Auckland, New Zealand: The Pacific Association of Supreme Audit Institutions (PASAI) is aiming to improve the quality and effectiveness of audits Pacific Island SAIs conduct with government audit staff training that starts today.

The course on the strategic planning of compliance and performance audits will provide auditors with the tools and techniques to identify, prioritise and select audit topics with a strategic and systematic approach while considering all sectors, areas of risk in government and matters of public interest.

PASAI Chief Executive, Esther Lameko-Poutoa, opened the workshop reminding participants that, “The effectiveness of a SAI in holding government to account in its use of public finances depends on the quality of the audit.

“The SAI must work in partnership with Parliament and the executive government and make use of audit findings and recommendations to influence positive change.”

Thirty-four participants (18 female, 16 male) from 10 government audit offices (in the Federated States of Micronesia (FSM) National, FSM Chuuk, FSM Kosrae, FSM Yap, Fiji, Kiribati, the Marshall Islands, Papua New Guinea, Samoa and Tuvalu) will participate in four, part-day online workshops held on 5, 6 and 12 October and 1 November 2022.

Independent assessments of 20 SAIs in the region revealed many of them have not considered a wide variety of issues or sectors when selecting audit topics for compliance and performance audits.

Sinaroseta Palamo-Iosefo (Director – Practice Development, PASAI) and Meresimani Vosawale-Katuba (Director – South, PASAI) will facilitate the workshops. Doris Flores Brooks (Director – North, PASAI), will moderate a panel discussion of experts sharing insights into selecting audit topics and planning work.

Ms Palamo-Iosefo explained, “A SAI should have a process for selecting audit topics in a meaningful manner, enabling it to focus audits on significant issues and cover the various sectors in government operations.

“In this way, a SAI can prioritise resources and report findings on areas that are relevant to the country and of interest to the public.”

This capacity development course is spread over a month so participants can practise, document and present their processes for feedback.

PASAI acknowledges the support of the New Zealand Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade (MFAT) and the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT).

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Contact information:

Sinaroseta Palamo-Iosefo, Director Practice Development PASAI, Auckland, New Zealand
E: sina.iosefo@pasai.org P: +64 9 304 1275

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