FOLLOWING the finalisation of its five-year strategic plan in the first quarter of 2024, the Audit Office of Guyana has set off on a path to strengthen its capacity in various areas.

This was recently disclosed by the Auditor General of Guyana, Deodat Sharma, as he presented the 2023 report to the Speaker of the National Assembly.

Reporting on the performance of his office, he said that in the first quarter of 2024, the Audit Office of Guyana finalised its five-year strategic development plan to cover the period 2024 to 2028.

This plan he said emphasises the strengthening of the capability and capacity of human resources, adapting, modernising and innovating technologically, among other things.

Against this backdrop, Sharma indicated that the office has been working on strengthening performance audits and further ensuring that entities and their relevant personnel grasp the significance of performance audits.

“This commitment was evident when 142 officers from the public sector participated in two one-day workshops held in March, facilitated by the Canadian Audit and Accountability Foundation which continued to support the office in this domain,” Sharma said.

In relation to organisational strengthening, he indicated that the Quality Assurance Unit of the office has been engaged in the System of Audit Quality Management and other programmes aimed at enhancing the unit’s capabilities and increasing efficiency in performing “hot and cold” audit reviews.

With this, he added that eight officers completed training on interviewing skills, 19 officers completed leadership training aimed at developing leaders and two officers are set to attend training of emerging leaders in Canada in October.
As part of the continuous organisational development and learning, he noted that some 60 officers participated in in-house training using IDEA-Data Analysis Software to ensure sampling is done more effectively for wider audit coverage.

“The office acknowledges that ongoing learning and development are essential for fulfilling its mandate effectively,” Sharma added.