By Ramatoulie Jawo
The Minister of Finance and Economic Affairs, Hon. Seedy Keita, presented the Report of the Auditor General on the audited Financial Statements of the Central Government of The Gambia for the year ended 31st December, 2020 to the parliament on Friday.
In presenting the report to the lawmakers, Honorable Seedy Keita expressed his appreciation for the opportunity to lay before the National Assembly the audited Financial Statements of the Government of The Gambia for the financial year ended December 31, 2020.
He noted that the Financial Statements cover accounts that are under the control of the Accountant General’s Department and do not include the full transactions of the State-Owned-Enterprises Self Accounting Projects and Local Governments.
“These entities are audited separately by External Auditors through the Office of the Auditor General. The financial statements comprise the following consolidated statements of cash receipts and Payments (International Public Sector Accounting Standard, (IPSAS).
Statements of Revenue and Expenditure Consolidated Fund Detailed Revenue and Expenditure Comparison Accounting Policies and Explanatory Notes. The Financial Statements also contain additional statements as required by Section 63 of the Public Finance Act 2014 and Part 2 of the Cash Basis IPSAS” he said.
Hon. Keita said the Financial Statements have been prepared in accordance with the following Legal and regulatory frameworks: the 1997 Constitution, the Public Finance Act, 2014.
“The provision of a framework against which audit is undertaken allows for improved quality and comparability of financial information reported by the public sector against the performance of other countries that have adopted IPSAS,” he said
He stated that the Government has implemented the necessary measures to address issues identified in the audit of the Financial Statements for the year ending December 31, 2020.
He emphasized significant progress in the timely preparation and audit of government financial statements in recent times.
“Government Financial Statements have been prepared up to 2022; the audit of the 2021 Government Financial Statements is currently ongoing, while the preparation of the 2022 Accounts has just been concluded ready for submission to the National Audit Office.”
“This is a clear demonstration of our commitment towards the attainment of in-year reporting whereby the Auditor General can perform a continuous audit of Government activities,” he told the lawmakers.
The Minister highlighted that, with support from AfriTac West2, the Government of The Gambia has formulated an Asset Management Policy (AMP) applicable across all government sectors. He noted, “This will to a great extent serve as an important pillar towards migrating to IPSAS”
Minister Keita also mentioned the government’s implementation of Public Financial Management (PFM) reforms over the years, resulting in an overall enhancement in the quality of PFM service delivery.
The report was formally presented to the National Assembly Standing Committee on Finance and Public Accounts Committee (FPAC).
After laying the report, the Speaker of the National Assembly, Hon. Fabakary Tombong Jatta, underscored the report’s significance, urging all Hon. Members to thoroughly examine it and engage in constructive consideration with a serious approach.