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ECOWAS ECASAI meet in Accra to deepen cooperation

Member countries of the ECOWAS Association of Supreme Audit Institutions (ECASAI) are meeting in Accra to discuss measures to deepen co-operation among the Audit Service institutions within the West African Sub-region.

As part of the three-day programme, which opened on Wednesday and would end tomorrow, countries would review and adopt a Constitution of the Association which was developed at the inaugural meeting in Accra in 2019.

Also, the meeting would afford the Association opportunity to develop its foundational documents, tools, work plan to fulfill the objective of promoting good governance in the ECOWAS member states.

ECASAI is an association of the Audit Service organisations within the West African Region.

Opening the programme, the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, Thomas Mbomba, said the government fully supported the establishment of ECASAI.

“Ghana is pleased with the steps taken by this august body to develop its foundational documents, tools, and a work plan to fulfill the vision of promoting good governance in the ECOWAS member states,” he said.

He said the establishment of ECASAI would help improve accountability and transparency in the use of the resources of the member states of ECOWAS in the implementation of national and regional projects, with the aim of improving the living standard of ECOWAS citizens.

Mr Mbomba indicated that the government was keenly following developments taking place with regard to the implementation of the action plan on institutional reforms by all ECOWAS Community Institutions, under the leadership of the President of the ECOWAS Commission.

The Acting Auditor General, Johnson Akuamoah Asiedu, said ECASAI was a member of the International Organisation of Supreme Audit Institutions (INTOSAI), the umbrella organisation for national level audit institutions that worked to establish and disseminate international standards and good practices.

Mr Asiedu said in Africa the Arab, French and Portuguese and English blocks had their own version of INTOSAI and there was the need for West Africa to also have their own association.

For this reason, he said member states of ECOWAS decided to also form an association of the various Audit Institutions in the Sub-region.

Mr Asiedu said the creation of ECASAI was to foster collaboration between the audit service organisations within West Africa.

Among other benefits, the Acting Auditor General said the association would help promote collaboration among ECOWAS, the member states auditing, stressing that member countries could share experience on expertise on performance audit and planning.

The President of the ECOWAS Court of Justice, Justice Edward Amoako Asante, in his remarks commended the West African bloc for also creating an association to promote co-operation among the Audit Service organisations within the ECOWAS.

He encouraged member states to make collective commitment towards the sustenance and success of the Association.

The President of the ECOWAS Commission, Baba Gana Wakil pledged the support of the Office of the Auditor General of ECOWAS to the ECASAI.

He said the establishment of ECASAI would promote transparency and greater accountability within ECOWAS member states to achieve the goals of the regional body.

The programme was graced by the Chairman of the Ghana Audit Service, Professor Edward Dua Agyemang.

Photo: Ebon Gorman

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