Mr. P. Garswa Jackson Sr., FCCA, CFIP, CFC, is the Auditor General of the Republic of Liberia. He was confirmed by the Liberian Senate on July 15, 2021. As Auditor General of the Republic of Liberia, Mr. Jackson is responsible for supporting the Legislature in promoting accountability and transparency in the use of Liberia’s public resources. This requirement is fulfilled through the execution of his mandate, which is detailed in the General Auditing Commission Act of 2014.
Prior to his appointment as Auditor General, Mr. Jackson served as Vice President for Finance and Fiscal Affairs at the University of Liberia, where he was responsible for supervising financial management activities at the University in close consultation with the President of the University of Liberia. His prior experiences include Comptroller (Head of Finance) and Chief Internal Auditor of the University of Liberia, Financial Statement Auditor at the Global Big Four Auditor KPMG plus tax administration experience at the Bureau of Customs and Excise and the Large Taxpayer Unit, Ministry of Finance (Republic of Liberia).
Mr. Jackson is a fellow of the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA) of the United Kingdom, the Liberian Institute of Certified Public Accountant (LICPA), the International Institute of Certified Forensic Investigation Professional, USA Inc. (IICFIP) and the Institute of Financial Consultant, Canada (IFC). He also holds a Bachelor of Science Degree in Economics from the African Methodist Episcopal University here in Liberia.
As Auditor General of the Republic of Liberia, Mr. Jackson is a permanent member of the African Organization of English-Speaking Supreme Auditor Institutions’ (AFROSAI-E) Governing Board and a Governing Council Member of the Liberia Institute of Certified Public Accounts (LICPA).
Mr. Jackson upon inception to the Office of the Auditor General envisions expanding the number of audits conducted by the GAC and the frequency of audits of Government entities. He anticipates strengthening collaboration with antigraft institutions in the country to enhance compliance with the financial management and assurance laws of the country, as well as to aid in the implementation of GAC audit recommendations. He also looks forward to leveraging on the authority of the Office of the Comptroller General to craft a mechanism that drives mandatory preparation of financial statements aim at improving the quality and consistency of financial reporting in the public sector.
The Auditor General has succeeded in expanding the number of annual audits conducted by the GAC to over Sixty (60) Government entities and donor projects for multi-years, operationalized the Follow-up on the Implementation of Audit Recommendations Unit, facilitated the recruitment of several professional accountants to enhance capacity of the GAC’s workforce, improved the working environment and logistical support for staff including the achievement of the One Auditor One Laptop Project and introduced platforms for the improvement of audit documentation & reporting. He has also played a significant role in strengthening and enhancing public financial management reforms working with key stakeholders including the World Bank and the Ministry of Finance and Development Planning. He has regularized the audit of the Government Annual Consolidated Financial Statements and the audit of the General Auditing Commission. Some specialized audits performed during the tenure of AG Jackson include: the National Payroll Audit, the Government of Liberia Domestic Debt Audit and the Information Systems Audit of the National Identification Registry.