Liberia’s new Auditor General, Hon. P. Garswa Jackson, Sr. has paid homage to fallen
Auditor General Madam Yusador S. Gaye for the professional manner in which she
conducted the affairs of the General Auditing Commission (GAC) over the last seven
years.
Speaking when he officially presented his vision to a cross section of Senior Managers
of the GAC, Auditor General Jackson recounted contributions made by the late Madam
Gaye and promised to build on the foundation of the late Auditor General.
Outlining his vision, under the theme: Expanding Efficiency and Effectiveness at the
GAC, Auditor General Jackson emphasized the need for the full implementation of the
Commission’s 2014 Act. He highlighted the need on regularizing the annual audit of the
Consolidated Financial Statements, the annual audit of the GAC, the Bi- Annual Peer
Review of the Commission and the preparation of Annual Activities Report to the
Legislature.
In his power point presentation to the Senior Management, Auditor General Jackson
also outlined as part of his vision the adoption of proactive approaches in the work of
the Commission to include enforcement of compliance with the country’s financial
management and assurance laws through collaboration with others Anti-Graft
institutions.
Inclusive in the proactive approaches, he highlighted the need to incentivize the
mandatory preparation of financial statements from Government entities through the
Office of the Comptroller & Accountants General of Liberia and the subsequent
presentation of those reports to the General Auditing Commission (GAC). He added that
an annual technical review of the Draft National Budget by the GAC will aid the
Legislature in its review and passage of the budget.
AG Jackson also highlighted the need to expand audit efficiency through the
advancement of information, communication and technology at the GAC. He indicated
that the introduction of an audit software will enhance quality, consistency and expedite
planning, execution and reporting of audits.
Relative to capacity building, Auditor General Jackson has opted to prioritize both
experienced based initiatives as well as continue the professional certification programs
for auditors. For the experienced based capacity building initiatives, the Auditor General
promised to explore secondment opportunities for GAC’s auditors at Supreme Audit
Institutions of larger countries in the subregion and participation in joint audits with
international firms, both of which will facilitate knowledge transfer to GAC Auditors. He
noted that the conduct of periodic Peer Review will aid the Commission in correcting the
gaps and that external trainings will also be prioritized during his tenure in office.
In closing, the Auditor General emphasized the need to galvanize additional resources
for the Commission to facilitate the implementation of his vision. He noted that lobbying
for additional budgetary support through the Legislature and revamping the Project
Office at the Commission to adequately source donor funding will be actively pursued.
Mr. P. Garswa Jackson, Sr, who officially took office on Wednesday, July 21, 2021, is a
Certified Public Accountant with over seventeen (17) years of Public and Private Sectors
audit and financial management experience and brings a worth of local and
international knowledge to the General Auditing Commission