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IAA Senior Management Retreat

Posted on by Tech Support

IAA Convenes Senior Management Retreat -Aligns its Strategic Plan with National Development Agenda

Monrovia, Liberia – The Internal Audit Agency (IAA) of Liberia has begun a three-day Senior Management Retreat in Monrovia, under the Theme: “Aligning the Team on the Long-Term Objectives of the IAA with Clear Strategies and Performance Indicators”. 

The retreat, which commenced Wednesday, January 8, 2025, seeks to align the entity’s five-year Corporate Strategic Plan with the ARREST Agenda for Inclusive Development (AAID) by adopting clear strategies that will facilitate the achievement of IAA’s objectives. 

Making remarks at the opening of the retreat, the Director General David A. Kemah rallied the concerted efforts of staff members aimed at strengthening collaboration to achieve more in the year ahead. 

Director General Kemah emphasized the need for staff to align the goals of their sectors, sections and units with the broader strategic objectives of the IAA. He described the retreat as an opportunity to engage in meaningful dialogue, strategic planning, sharing insights, and ensuring that every team member is moving in the same direction.

Hon. Kemah further highlighted professional development as a key focus of the IAA in the years ahead, consistent with the IAA’s Strategic Goal #1 which seeks to professionalize the entity by training its staff to perform internal auditing and other administrative support services. 

He reiterated management’s commitment to enhancing the professional qualifications of IAA staff. “We are dedicated to conducting more training sessions aimed at qualifying our auditors as Certified Public Accountants (CPAs), Certified Internal Auditors (CIAs), Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA), Certified Information Systems Auditors (CISAs), and more. This is essential for our mission to elevate the internal audit profession in Liberia”, he stated.

The Director General also assured staff of management’s determination to providing the necessary tools and conducive working environment for effective service delivery. “We recognize the importance of equipping our teams with the right resources, and we will continue to prioritize this as we work towards achieving our goals”, DG Kemah asserted. 

The three days Senior Management retreat has brought together members of the IAA’s Executive Management Team, Executive and Sector Directors, as well as Section and Unit heads. 

It features departmental, sectoral and sectional presentations on achievements, challenges and prospects for the year ahead, while harnessing the insights and expertise of participants to formulate clear strategies and performance indicators for the year.

IAA Performance Management

Posted on by Tech Support

IAA SIGNS PERFORMANCE MANAGEMENT CONTRACT AND CODE OF CONDUCT.

MONROVIA – A  Performance Management Contract and Code of Conduct , introduced by the Boakai’s Administration for all public officials, has been signed by the Director General of the IAA, David A. Kemah.

Mr. David A. Kemah, declared that his signing indicates a commitment to ensuring that the  achievement of   targets set by his  agency,  meets the performance management contract, introduced by President Joseph N. Boakai Administration.

Mr . Kemah also signed the Code of Conduct,  stating it reaffirms his commitment to adherence of  standards and to  be in compliance with laws in the execution of his duty.

The signing ceremony took place on Monday, January 6, 2025,  at the Ministry of State on Capitol Hill.

In October 2024, the Unity Party led government launched the Performance Management and Compliance Strategy at the Ministerial Complex.

It is central to the Administration’s ARREST agenda, focusing on accountability, responsiveness, and responsible governance. 

The system sets clear performance standards for ministries, agencies, and commissions, enabling real-time monitoring and accountability.

IAA Performance Retreat

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IAA IS READY TO IMPLEMENT GOVERNMENT'S PERFORMANCE MANAGEMENT AND COMPLIANCE SYSTEM.

MONROVIA- The Director General of the Internal Audit Agency, David A. Kemah,  has announced that  his  agency is in full readiness,  to effectively implement the  Performance Management and Compliance System , recently launched by the Liberian government.

Mr. Kemah disclosed that the IAA will align its activities  with the new strategy,  to  ensure how performance is measured and monitored..

“The Performance Management and Compliance System, is a new strategy introduced  by the Liberian Government to foster  transparency, accountability, and Good governance in Liberia, and we have carved a plan to help the government achieve its vision”,  stressed DG Kemah. 

He made the disclosure over the weekend at the end of a planning retreat of the Executive Management Team of the Internal Audit Agency outside Monrovia.

The head of the IAA also said at the  official opening of the retreat, that his goal,  is to see  efficiency enhanced at the agency , to  influence  changes in some policies of the government.

Mr. Kemah, among other things,  hopes that at the end of the retreat, the Agency will have a standardized reporting process between Departments like Audit Services and Special Audits, as well as  Administration , Timeline for reporting, Performance measurements, quarterly evaluation of accomplishments,  and evaluation of impacts at public sector entities.

The retreat was held under the theme: “Think, Team, and Tactics(3Ts) for a Professional, Innovative, Efficient, Effective, and Customer-focused Institution”.

The Agency has gone two years into implementation of the strategic plan and  the retreat was held to conduct a positional analysis of the five-year corporate strategic plan to determine  achievements, challenges, opportunities, future plans, required resources and strategies for the next two years. 

The plan contains four strategic goals: Professional Institution, Automated Processes and Systems, Effective Service Delivery and Effective Stakeholder Engagement. 

Upon completion of the  Retreat, IAA’s Executive Management envisages that the  following outcomes will be realized.

They are: 

Accurate, clear, consistent and realistic goals and objectives that aligned with the IAA’s mandate, responsibilities and functions. 

Clear, effective and realistic performance targets and performance indicators at institution, department, operating unit and individual levels. 

Enhanced teamwork and unity of purpose at all levels across the Agency.

Well-branded institution with accuracy, clarity and consistency in representations. 

Adoption and implementation of  wholistic  stakeholder’s approach to planning, executing and reporting on strategic, tactical and operational activities. 

Adequate, proper and secure document and record management system across the Agency. 

Effective risk management system and compliance with Executive Management directives and professional standards across the Agency.

Enhanced employees’ morale and engagement through a renewed sense of purpose and direction.

Meeting stakeholders’ expectations, Special Audits strategy and methodology and strategy for conducting government wide risks , among others. 

The IAA’s Executive Management retreat, which is the first of several events earmarked to properly plan for the ensuing year, commenced on Thursday, December 5th, 2024 and climaxed on  Saturday, December 7, 2024.

IAA  is a public sector audit institution enacted into law in November 2013.

 The Agency has the mandate to establish, direct and control internal audit functions in all public sector entities in Liberia.

 It is responsible for promulgating policies, standards and procedures that guide the practice of internal auditing and internal auditors in the public sector of Liberia.

IAA Designates Integrity Ambassadors

Posted on by Website Updater

Monrovia, Liberia – The Internal Audit Agency of Liberia has designated several of its former employees as Integrity Ambassadors for their invaluable services rendered the institution over the years.

Those designated are former employees who have been appointed by the President of Liberia to various top positions in government. They include: Cllr. Charles Karmo, Deputy Minister for Economic Affairs at the Ministry of Justice, David K. Akoi, Deputy Minister for Planning and Research at the Ministry of Agriculture and Jefferson Tucker, Deputy Executive Director at the Liberia Agency for Community Empowerment (LACE). Others include: Amara M. Kamara, Commissioner at the Liberia Electricity Regulatory Commission (LERC), Antoinette F. Dukuly, Deputy Minister for Administration at the Ministry of Agriculture and Rudolph G. Natt, Deputy Minister for Land and Rails at the Ministry of Transport.

Performing the designation at the first General Staff meeting of the entity on the weekend, the IAA’s Director General congratulated the honorees, describing them as some of the best minds that the entity has produced over the years.

Hon. David A. Kemah however challenged the honorees to continue to remain a beacon of integrity and transparency in their newly assigned roles. He expressed optimism that compliance will be strengthened at the various entities where the honorees have been appointed, considering their past records of commitment to integrity, transparency and accountability.

In separate remarks, the newly designated Integrity Ambassadors expressed gratitude to the Executive Management Team of the IAA for bestowing such prestigious honor on them, while promising to uphold the standards that come with such honor.

The honorees also inspired their colleagues, internal auditors, to continue to exhibit integrity in the discharge of their professional duties. They defined integrity as doing the right thing even when no one is watching, and encouraged staffs of the IAA to work diligently without the sole intent of seeking acknowledgement; that way, their good works will justify for their recognition.

IAA COMMISSIONS SPECIAL AUDIT

Posted on by Website Updater

Monrovia, Liberia – The Internal Audit Agency (IAA) has announced the commissioning of a Special Audit of the 2024 Inaugural activities managed by the Joint Presidential Transitional Team (JPTT).

Making the disclosure at a Press Conference on Wednesday in Monrovia, the Director General of the IAA, Hon. David Kemah, indicated that the Special Audit of the Inaugural activities is consistent with the mandate of the IAA to conduct special reviews of Government and donor funded activities.

According to Hon. Kemah, the Special Audit is a routine assurance activity carried out across Ministries, Agencies and Commissions (MACs) of the Government of Liberia with the goal of strengthening transparency and accountability of public resources.

IAA DG along with some public officials at the event.

IAA Conducts Capacity Building Program For Auditors

Posted on by Tech Support

The Internal Audit Agency (IAA) has vowed to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of the processes of Ministries, Agencies and Commissions (MACs) of the Government of Liberia.

Speaking at the official Validation Ceremony of its Policies and Procedure documents over the weekend in Gompa city, Nimba County, the Director General of the IAA, Hon. David Kemah, described the gathering as a milestone achievement not just for the IAA, but the entire country.

Director General Kemah conveyed special appreciation to the development partners for the support thus far, as well as, other integrity institutions like the General Auditing Commission and the Public Procurement and Concession Commission for being present at the validation exercise.

Hon. Kemah emphasized that auditors are people of facts who are required to provide relevant information that help clients to do the right things. Thus, the validation of various Policies and Procedures that seek to provide guidance for government entities in the discharge of their mandates.

The Director General further emphasized the need for more training of auditors to improve their capacity to deliver quality services that add value to the activities of client entities.

Hon. Kemah disclosed that his leadership will endeavor to source support from partners particularly for the professional qualification of internal auditors. He named those professional qualifications to include: the Certified Internal Auditor (CIA) exams, the Chartered Accountant (CA) exams, the Certified Public Accountant (CPA) exams, the Certified Fraud Examiners (CFEs) exams, among others.

Some of the Policies and Procedures that were validated include: the IAA’s five-year Strategic Plan, the National Compliance Checklist for all public entities, the National Scorecard template and the Internal Auditing Manual. Other documents validated include: the IAA’s Regulations, the Audit Procedures and Operational Manual, the Financial Procedures Manual, the Human Resources Manual, among others.

IAA Concludes Validation of its internal Policies

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IAA Concludes Validation of Policies, Procedures -Commits to improving efficiency across gov’t

The Internal Audit Agency (IAA) has vowed to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of the processes of Ministries, Agencies and Commissions (MACs) of the Government of Liberia.

Speaking at the official Validation Ceremony of its Policies and Procedure documents over the weekend in Gompa city, Nimba County, the Director General of the IAA, Hon. David Kemah, described the gathering as a milestone achievement not just for the IAA, but the entire country.

Director General Kemah conveyed special appreciation to the development partners for the support thus far, as well as, other integrity institutions like the General Auditing Commission and the Public Procurement and Concession Commission for being present at the validation exercise.

Hon. Kemah emphasized that auditors are people of facts who are required to provide relevant information that help clients to do the right things. Thus, the validation of various Policies and Procedures that seek to provide guidance for government entities in the discharge of their mandates.

The Director General further emphasized the need for more training of auditors to improve their capacity to deliver quality services that add value to the activities of client entities.

Hon. Kemah disclosed that his leadership will endeavor to source support from partners particularly for the professional qualification of internal auditors. He named those professional qualifications to include: the Certified Internal Auditor (CIA) exams, the Chartered Accountant (CA) exams, the Certified Public Accountant (CPA) exams, the Certified Fraud Examiners (CFEs) exams, among others.

Some of the Policies and Procedures that were validated include: the IAA’s five-year Strategic Plan, the National Compliance Checklist for all public entities, the National Scorecard template and the Internal Auditing Manual. Other documents validated include: the IAA’s Regulations, the Audit Procedures and Operational Manual, the Financial Procedures Manual, the Human Resources Manual, among others.

US Ambassador Applauds IAA

Posted on by Bayzambmo

US Ambassador Applauds IAA’s Approach in Fighting Corruption

-Pays Visit on Director General and Management Team

Tuesday, November 15, 2022 Monrovia –

The United States Ambassador accredited near Monrovia, Amb. Michael McCarthy, has applauded the Internal Audit Agency for what he calls its unique approach in helping public institutions do the right thing.
Ambassador McCarthy intimated that, the fact that IAA auditors do not exert themselves as policing the activities of public entities but rather helping institutions to do the right thing is laudable.
The US Ambassador welcomed the new management team at IAA, headed by Hon. David Kemah, and described the transition as absolutely essential to strengthening democracy.
He emphasized the importance of the IAA’s approach of helping public entities do the right, stressing that public resources belong to the people; as such, public officials have a duty to be accountable to the people.
The US Ambassador made the remarks on Tuesday, November 15, 2022 when he paid an official visit at the head office of the Internal Audit Agency in Congo town.
Meanwhile, the Director General of the IAA, Hon. David Kemah, used the occasion to present the entity’s Priority Areas to the US Ambassador. The IAA’s Priority Areas are the entity’s strategic goals that are contained in its five years Strategic Plan which was recently approved and validated.
Director General Kemah named the expansion of IAA’s coverage in the counties and the delivery of effective services to client entities as areas of focus for the new management team.
Hon. Kemah also thanked the President of Liberia, Dr. George M. Weah, for reposing confidence in his team to lead the IAA, following a competitive recruitment process. He indicated that with the competence and independence of his team members, all of whom are Certified Public Accountants, the IAA will make a difference for the people of Liberia.

IAA Continues Rebranding Strategy

Posted on by Tech Support

IAA Continues Rebranding Strategy

The Internal Audit Agency has continued its engagement with national institutions expending public resources, this time with the Liberia Football Association (LFA) at its headquarters at the Antoinette Tubman Stadium on Lynch street and U.N. Drive.

The engagement meeting, which coincides with the entity’s rebranding strategy, is a result of an earlier request from the LFA management requesting the IAA’s deployment of internal auditor(s) to strengthen controls of its activities.

The LFA’s President, Mr. Mustapha Raji, welcomed the IAA’s delegation and reaffirmed his desire to build a far more better system that is compliant with existing standards and regulations locally and globally.

Leading the day’s presentation, the Sector Director for County Operations, Mr. Gbanjah Campbell, drilled through the role and functions of the Internal Audit Agency, as well as the entity’s Ten Priority areas upon which the scorecards will be determined.

The scorecard is a product of the IAA’s Quarterly Performance Indicator which oozed out of the recently held National Transparency and Integrity Forum between the IAA and the Ministry of Finance and Development Planning, with representatives from the Integrity sector, Ministries, Agencies and Commissions (MACs), State Owned Enterprises (SOEs) and the Civil Society.

At the close of the presentation, the LFA President, Mr. Raji, thanked the IAA for the engagement and pledged to ensure that he engages with the Executive Committee of the LFA for endorsement. This will then precipitate the conduct of a Risk Assessment to inform management of existing risks and remedial actions to addressing said risks.

Meanwhile, the IAA has concluded similar engagement with the Accounting Services Unit (ASU) and the Project Financial Management Unit (PFMU) of the Ministry of Finance and Development Planning.

The engagements sought to strengthen cooperation aimed at addressing compliance lapses with daily transactions, as well as, donor funded projects across government MACs and SOEs.

IAA Concludes Strategic Planning Retreat

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IAA Concludes Strategic Planning Retreat

The Internal Audit Agency of Liberia has concluded a three-day Strategic Planning Retreat in Ganta City, Nimba County, with a recommitment to ensuring compliance with relevant laws in the utilization of public resources.

The Retreat is part of the IAA’s ongoing reform efforts aimed at further strengthening institutional governance and increasing productivity at the workplace. 

A cross section of staff from various units within the entity participated in the three-day intensive working sessions that deliberated key instruments of relevance, including the entity’s Regulation and Strategic Plan, among others.

The IAA’s Regulation reflects an explanation of the 2013 Act establishing the Internal Audit Agency, while the Strategic Plan encapsulates a five-year roadmap that specifically supports the Accountability pillar of the Government’s Pro-Poor Agenda for Prosperity and Development (PAPD). 

Speaking at the Retreat, the Acting Director General of the IAA, Hon. Clarence W. Williams, challenged employees to recommit to the statutory mandate of the IAA by promulgating and ensuring that common internal audit standards and systems, in keeping with best practices, are established and maintained across the Government of Liberia. 

Hon. Williams indicated that, as part of its five-year Strategic Plan, the IAA, under its deployment strategy, is determined to cover 85% of the total number of entities within the public sector. Currently, the IAA covers 63% of the total number of public sector entities in Liberia. 

Commenting on ongoing reform efforts at the IAA, the Acting Director General pronounced his full support to the establishment of the Standardization, Production and Archiving Section as proposed by the Department of Audit Services. 

The Standardization, Production and Archiving Section will ensure that all audit reports are uniquely formatted, properly produced and carefully archived with the ultimate goal of attaining uniformity and ease of reference. 

Meanwhile, the IAA boss has reaffirmed the entity’s commitment to the impending nationwide payroll verification exercise of the National Payroll Cleanup Taskforce constituted by His Excellency President George Manneh Weah. 

As Co-chair on the Taskforce, Hon. Williams reiterated IAA’s professional readiness to lead the process of conducting physical audits of government payrolls, consistent with its statutory mandate. 

The nationwide payroll cleanup exercise, which is expected to roll out shortly this month, seeks to conduct physical head counts of Government employees in all fifteen counties of Liberia with the aim of removing ghost employees from the wage bill.

In the last 12 months, the IAA has audited the payrolls of over six Government institutions and successfully identified and removed about 800 ghost names from the payroll, thereby saving the Government an annual dollar value of L$175.1Million.

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