Strong internal auditors key to development – Dr. Oduro Osae

• as Ghana prepares to host 9th AFIIA Conference

Director-General of the Internal Audit Agency, Dr. Eric Oduro Osae, has stated that strengthening internal auditing in public institutions is critical to government efforts aimed at restoring macroeconomic stability – which is needed to propel the growth and developmental agenda.

“If we lay emphasis on internal auditing, if we listen to our internal auditors, Africa will develop, Ghana will develop and the world will develop.  Internal auditors hold the key to development in this 21st century,” he stated.

According to him, good governance is key to the development of Africa – and the role of internal auditors in promoting it cannot be overstated.

Dr. Oduro Osae was speaking at the 9^th African Federation of the Institutes of Internal Auditors (AFIIA) conference launch on Tuesday, 18 April 2023. The conference will be held from 22 to 27 of May 2023.

He said it is the responsibility of internal auditors to add value to organisations in which they find themselves, and that the upcoming conference is an “excellent opportunity to discover innovative and new solutions to meet the challenges we face in our roles”.

“This conference seeks to bring together various stakeholders to exchange ideas, share knowledge, and discuss best practices that can help us achieve our shared goal of promoting good governance across the continent,” he added.

The conference

The 9th AFIIA Conference is designed to provide an incredibly unique platform for dialogue and exchange of ideas. The theme of the event is ‘Innovate to sustain’, and is intended to enable internal auditors push the envelope just a little bit further, think outside the box and explore bold new perspectives.

The conference has three distinct events taking place within it. These are: a hands-on training session dubbed AFIIA University, which is targetted at practicing internal auditors; a governance forum for board members, audit committee members, CEOs and senior management team members; and the main conference itself, which caters to the needs of people from all walks of life and professions.

President-Institute of Internal Auditors (IIA) Ghana, Harriet Akua Karikari, said the conference will develop the ability of internal auditors to gain insights into workings of their organisations – identifying areas of improvement that will not only help their organisations become more efficient but also contribute to improving the quality of operations and enhancing customer satisfaction.

“To perform this role effectively, internal auditors may step on many toes; they may be the target of others, and for that reason require our support to stay their course. Therefore, since the internal audit fraternity celebrates May of every year as ‘Internal Audit Awareness Month’, the AFIIA Conference could not have been better-timed as it serves the dual purpose of equipping participants with insightful submissions and marking the climax of Internal Audit Awareness Month,” she said.

On his part, Daniel Quampah – AFIIA Vice Chairman responsible for West Africa and immediate past president of IIA Ghana, urged all members to spread the news, create awareness and market the conference in their organisations and on all corporate and social media platforms, so as to ensure that all key stakeholders in the governance ecosystem attend and actively participate in the conference.