Abass Sesay, AYV News, December 16, 2025
Internal auditors from local councils across Sierra Leone have completed a week-long training program aimed at enhancing their skills and strengthening auditing practices.
The training, organised in Makeni by the Internal Audit Directorate of the Ministry of Finance, focused on the audit cycle, comprising planning, field work, reporting, and follow-up stages.
According to Andulai Samura, Deputy Internal Auditor in the Ministry of Finance, the training is part of the coaching and mentoring activities for internal auditors of local councils.
“This activity is designed to amend the loopholes in applying internal audits at these institutions,” he explained.
Samura emphasized the importance of planning, stating, “Failing to plan is planning to fail.”
He urged auditors to prioritize this stage for effective auditing systems, saying, “The first stage of auditing – planning – is very key, and we want internal auditors to lay premium on this stage for an effective and efficient auditing system.”
Auditing, according to Abdulai Samura, is a management tool that helps guide management on the implementation of the right procedures and policies, promoting transparency and accountability in every dealing at councils.
“Internal Audit is a guide to control weaknesses and bring forth such inadequacies to management so that operations can be in line with the law, especially the PFM Act and Local Council Act,” he added.
The training was well-received by participants, who described it as an eye-opener.
Mariama Jeneba Bah, an internal auditor from Moyamba District Council, said, “The training has added value to my internal audit work – as this was the first official training since I was hired as an internal auditor.”
Abu Bakarr Jalloh, an internal auditor from Kenema District Council, praised the training, saying, it was on target as it has increased his auditing skills and knowledge.
Chernor Kamara, an internal auditor from Port Loko District Council, described the training as the best he’s attended, promising to enhance his effectiveness as an internal auditor.
He added that this would enhance effectiveness and efficiency to his work as an internal auditor.
The training is expected to strengthen auditing practices and promote good governance in local councils across Sierra Leone.
