Dakar, Dec 30 (APS) – The Public Procurement Regulatory Authority (ARCOP) announces that it has taken the decision, with the help of the Court of Auditors, to now internalize its audit missions, which have always been entrusted to external firms.
Its general director, Moustapha Djitté, asked Mamadou Faye, the first president of this institution responsible for controlling the execution of financial laws and sanctioning management errors, among other missions, to help him form a internal audit team, according to the ARCOP website.
”We would like to benefit from a training program designed by professional auditors like you, to support the team that we are going to put in place. This will involve training them in the fundamentals and practice of auditing,” said Mr. Djitté during a meeting with the head of the Court of Auditors.
ARCOP recalls that it has entrusted its audit missions, since its creation, to firms recruited via “a transparent procedure”.
”From now on,” she explains on her website, ”the objective is to build an internal team capable of conducting annual audits by increasing efficiency and optimizing the use of the reports produced.”
The Public Procurement Regulatory Authority, however, suggests that this innovation will not prevent it from continuing to call on experts from private firms.
”We plan to recruit experienced auditors from private firms, who will be trained in the specificities of public procurement. These auditors will work in tandem with experienced specialists in this field to balance auditing and public procurement skills, explains ARCOP.
This new organization will lead it to create three audit sections reflecting the structure of the Senegalese public administration, namely the central administration, the parapublic sector and the local authorities.
Each section will be led by an experienced auditor and public procurement specialist. Together, they will supervise “a team of young recruits responsible for collecting information”, with an “ambitious objective […] to audit at least 100 contracting authorities per year.
”Surround yourself with the right people and stay vigilant”
According to the same source, the first president of the Court of Auditors and the general director of ARCOP agreed to materialize this new approach. ”We are ready to collaborate to help you succeed in this mission. It is essential that the control bodies join forces to effectively cover the vast area to be monitored,” assured Mamadou Faye.
According to ARCOP, an agreement should be signed by the two institutions. She says she relied on the Court of Auditors to achieve this ambition, because of its ”national and international experience”, its status as a ”reference” in terms of financial audit training.
The future collaboration of the two institutions will lead ARCOP to train experts from the Court of Auditors in public procurement and public-private partnerships.
”This synergy aims to strengthen the transparency and governance of public spending,” specifies the authority responsible for public procurement.
The leaders of ARCOP and the Court of Auditors ”share a common vision: to promote rigorous public management practices and consolidate confidence in the use of public funds in Senegal”.
”To succeed in your mission, surround yourself with the right people and remain vigilant,” recommended Mamadou Faye to the director general of the institution responsible for public procurement.
”You have a responsibility towards the President of the Republic and the entire country,” Mr. Faye told him.
ESF
