Officials From The National Audit Office
By Ramatoulie Jawo
The National Audit Office on Monday, April 15th, 2024, disclosed to the Finance and Public Accounts Committee (FPAC) of the National Assembly that their financial receipts for the year 2021 exceeded GMD 94 million, marking a substantial increase from the previous year’s GMD 72 million.
During the presentation of the NAO’s financial statements for 2021, Mr. Alhagie Drammeh, the Director of Corporate Services, highlighted that the total receipts amounted to GMD 94,538,935.00. This figure shows a notable rise from 2020’s GMD 72,245,983.00. Additionally, the total payments for 2021 were GMD 84,566,822.00, compared to GMD 54,250,996.00 in the prior year.
The financial overview was part of the NAO’s annual report to the parliament, which included financial statements and activity reports for the fiscal year ending December 31, 2021.
Mr. Drammeh further explained that the NAO experienced a surplus of GMD 9,972,113.00 in 2021, a decrease from 2020’s surplus of GMD 17,994,987.00. The original budget for 2021 was set at GMD 127,659,428.00, later revised to GMD 119,719,428.00, with the actual expenditure being GMD 82,122,920.00, resulting in an underspend of GMD 37,596,508.00.
“For 2021, we had a surplus of D9,972,113.00 compared to D17,994,987.00, which is a surplus for 2020. For 2021, our original budget was D127,659,428.00, but the final budget was revised to D119,719,428.00 and our actual expenditure for that year was D82,122, 920.00, we underspent by D37,596,508.00″, he said.
In 2020, the NAO’s income primarily consisted of subventions and other minor receipts, totaling GMD 72,245,983.00. Mr. Drammeh noted that while subventions formed the bulk of their income, other receipts were minimal, amounting to only GMD 367,919.00. He compared these figures to the total income for 2019, which was GMD 79,180,910.00, and the total payments for 2020, which resulted in a surplus of GMD 17,994,987.00.
“For the year 2020, our other receipt was just D367, 919.00. Compared with our total income for 2019, which was D79,180,910.00, our total payments for 2020 was D54,250,996.00, with a surplus of D17,994,987.00. Compared to 2019, the total payment for that year was D64,416,434.00 with a surplus of D14,764,476.00,” Mr. Drammeh disclosed.
The NAO’s initial budget for 2020 was GMD 109,305,01, which was later adjusted to GMD 86,898,721.00. The actual expenditure for that year was approximately GMD 49,545,356.00, indicating a significant saving of GMD 37,353,365.
Binta Touray, the Communication Specialist at the NAO, presented the activity report, outlining the organization’s operations during 2020 and 2021. These activities included conducting audits of Municipalities and performance audits of various entities.
Ms. Touray emphasized the challenges faced by the NAO, particularly in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. These challenges encompassed audit capacity gaps, difficulties in accessing information during audits, and issues with the implementation of audit recommendations.
In 2021, the NAO completed a total of 244 audits and issued 132 reports. Ms. Touray proudly announced that the NAO received recognition for the best regional audit performance concerning obstetric care in public hospitals.
Furthermore, the NAO engaged in numerous stakeholder interactions, including media briefings and staff participation in various events, as part of their commitment to transparency and accountability.