12 Jun 2023

Enrolling accountants in the Organisation of English-speaking Supreme Audit Institutions, the AFROSAI-E programme can help further professionalise the public sector accountancy in Africa, Acting Auditor General, Ms Keneilwe Senyarelo has said.

Speaking during the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding between the Botswana Institute of Chartered Accountants (BICA) and the African Professionalisation Initiative (API), Ms Senyarelo said the auditor of the entire government required more professional accountants than they had.

She thus challenged government ministries to enrol their accountants in the AFROSAI-E programme. AFROSAI-E is a member-based institution with 26 Auditor-Generals from English-speaking African countries making up the Governing Board.

She said one of the strategic goals of AFROSAI-E was to professionalise the public sector accountancy in Africa, adding that it was not surprising that the body was a partner in the API programme.

She, therefore, noted that the MoU would promote professionalising the public sector to the level of the International Public Sector Accounting Standards.

Ms Senyarelo said reforms of the current government reporting system were envisioned to enhance accountability and transparency as outcomes were aligned to the purpose of every audit.

BICA chief executive officer, Ms Verily Molatedi said through the API, the public sector would be trained to get an understanding of public service administration, financial management and reporting.

She said for Botswana, training came at an opportune time when the country was reforming its public Financial Management to transition from Cash Accounting to Accrual Accounting.

Ms Molatedi said the programme would significantly improve the quantum of qualified public sector accountants in the country and lessen reliance on foreign skills while allowing the country to tap into a knowledge-based economy.

She said the public sector by its nature was different from the private sector in that a large part of it was for social benefit and most transactions were non-exchange. ends