Amend IAA Act to reflect international best practices - Nii Baddoo

Accra, June 15, GNA - Nii Adumansa Baddoo, Board Chairman of the Internal Audit Agency (IAA) on Tuesday appealed to the government to amend the Internal Audit Agency Act 658, 2003 section 3 and 16 (1). This, he said, would enable the Agency to have full control over the Internal Auditors working with the Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies (MMDAs).

Nii Baddoo said the amendment would enhance and enrich the existing Act and also ensure that internal auditors had unbiased attitude towards work.

He argued that if internal auditors could be independent, resources could be saved for infrastructural development projects such as schools, hospitals and roads.

The Board Chairman who was addressing a press conference organised in Accra stressed the need for the IAA to be placed in a better level to deal with issues of recruitment, transfers and general supervision of Internal Auditors serving with the MMDAs. Nii Baddoo said the Act in its current form did not give the Agency any clearly defined role as being the case in international best practices. According to him, the Agency was a professional body and should be responsible for co-ordinating, facilitating, monitoring and supervising its staff.

He said the Agency had challenges in performing its duties because the personnel were not directly involved with the Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) and MMDAs as stipulated in the Act. The IAA Act 658, 2003 section 16 (1) states that 93There shall be established in each MDA and MMDA, an internal audit unit which shall constitute a part of the MDA or MMDA".

Answering questions on how prepared the IAA was to implement the amendment should it be considered, Nii Baddoo said they provided capacity building, tools and training for all internal auditors at MDAs and MMDAs and were more than capable to take up the task. "We are not asking to be autonomous, what we saying is that internal auditing is a professional body and must reflect international best practices and Ghana must not be in isolation. "We always receive complains from our people that they are working for three or four years without promotion 96 why should it be so 96 motivation is very necessary for every employee to boost their performance," he said.

Nii Baddoo said some other Acts; especially the Local Government Service Act 472 should be given a second look to clearly redefine certain roles to avoid duplication of duties.