By Kingsley Webora TANKEH
The immediate past President of the Institute of Internal Auditors (IIA) Ghana, Joseph Dakora Zumasigee, has maintained that equipping every institution with a certified internal auditor is critical to uncovering financial infractions, strengthening the nation’s governance framework and ensuring compliance with the newly adopted global standards.
These comments were made during the inauguration of the newly constituted Governing Council of the IIA Ghana, where he passed the baton to the new leadership, urging them to continue to deepen collaborations with relevant institutions and drive to professionalise the internal audit sector.Speaking at the inauguration ceremony, Mr. Zumasigee, noted: “The more auditors do their work well, you will uncover infractions. [So] if we certify our members, they will be able to do their work well, they will uncover even more infractions and they will be able to come up with better corrective actions.”
He argued that while the fallible nature of humans makes infractions inevitable, putting a certified and highly skilled internal auditor in every institution, to supervise audits, is the best bet to uncovering and solving infractions and financial malfeasance in Ghana.
Mr. Zumasigee, however, clarified that the current lack of universal certification cannot be solely blamed for the infractions, but emphasised that it is the surest path to improvement. “It is better for the profession, it’s better for the country because our internal auditors will be able to do a better job,” he added.
His push for universal certification of internal auditors comes on the heels of Ghana’s early adoption of the new Global Internal Audit Standards in 2024, which requires that a certified internal auditor supervises the audit activities of every institution to ensure compliance.
Mr. Zumasigee revealed that IIA Ghana contributed to developing these standards, cementing its reputation within the African Federation of Institutes of Internal Auditors (AFIA) as a “high-flyer” and a model for others to emulate. Hence, it is crucial to ensure full compliance to the standards.
In view of this, the former president stressed that the institute must now “deepen collaboration with regulatory bodies” including the Bank of Ghana, the National Insurance Commission, the Internal Audit Agency and the Ghana Revenue Authority to improve financial scrutiny and ensure accountability.
He challenged the new council to become a vocal contributor to national discourse. “When laws are being passed, we need to present memoranda. When there are topical issues that happen in the country, as an institute, where we see that there are some control-related issues, we need to speak,” he charged
The newly inaugurated President of IIA Ghana, Ebenezer Kwadwo Omari-Mireku, embraced the challenge and promised to hit the ground running. He acknowledged the “good foundation” laid over the past 25 years and vowed to build upon it, expressing his commitment to strengthening governance structures and enhancing the collaborations championed by his predecessor.
“We need to enhance that collaboration with our key stakeholders, with regulatory bodies, because now a lot is emerging when it comes to the internal audit profession,” Mr. Omari-Mireku added. He highlighted the need for innovation and embracing trends in automation to secure a “smarter future” for the profession.
The Governing Council consists of 8 members, including the immediate past President of the institute, Mr. Joseph Dakora Zumasigee, and has been tasked with a two-year mandate to run the affairs of the institute.
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