By: Kadijatu Bangura, Reporter D.S
Audit Service Sierra Leone (ASSL) reviewed the key findings of the 2023 Auditor General’s Report during a meeting held on January 8, 2024, at its Head Office Conference Room in the Freetown City Council Building.
The report serves as both a reflection and a guide for enhancing governance, accountability, and public service delivery in Sierra Leone. In a press update on the findings, Acting Deputy Auditor General Morie Lansana noted that while the government’s financial statements received an unqualified audit opinion, significant challenges remain.
“While we strive for transparency, issues such as unaccounted revenue, unsupported expenditures, and missing documentation continue to undermine our financial landscape,” Lansana stated. He emphasized that the report goes beyond numbers, highlighting systemic weaknesses in payroll management across public institutions, including absenteeism and irregular salary payments.
Lansana further illustrated how these financial practices directly impact citizens, pointing to empty hospital wards lacking critical supplies, schools waiting for promised educational materials, and stalled projects due to poor contract management. “The figures in the Audit Report are not abstract; they represent real lives, struggles, and missed opportunities for progress,” he added.
Mohamed JuIdeh Barrie, ASSL’s Acting Deputy Auditor General in charge of Public Enterprises, stressed that the ASSL is not merely identifying flaws but is also offering pathways for improvement. “We have laid out clear recommendations and actionable steps that, if followed, will strengthen public institutions, improve financial discipline, and restore trust in government processes,” he said.
Barrie emphasized the collaborative role of the media in ensuring that these findings lead to meaningful action. “Accountability is not solely the responsibility of auditors or government officials. The media serves as a crucial bridge between institutions and the public,” he remarked.
“This briefing is not just an exercise in disclosure; it is a call to action,” he concluded, urging all stakeholders, including ministries, agencies, councils, and citizens, to take ownership of the findings and work toward solutions. “Every unfulfilled promise and mismanaged fund has a human face and social cost.”
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