Liberia's IAA Assesses County Service Centers Functionality in the Southeast...
Monrovia – As part of its nationwide assessment tour, the Internal Audit Agency has conducted a week- long assessment on Service Centers and public entities in counties in the southeast.
The primary focus of the assessment was to evaluate governance and control processes within public entities, which will inform the IAA’s decision to establish the internal audit function in those counties.
Mr. David A. Kemah, head of the Internal Audit Agency, led a five – man team to Grand Gedeh, Rivergee, and Maryland counties.
In releasing his preliminary observations, Mr. Kemah indicated that existing Service Centers need to be evaluated for efficiency prior to establishing new ones.
” From our assessment in the South East, there’s a need to conduct training programs for senior officials managing programs, and suport staff collecting data and generating reports required by the public financial management law.
Due to funding challenges, the effective operations of Service Centers in the counties have not been utilized”, Mr. Kemah revealed.
The team met Superintendents, Hospital officials, Administrators of the Counties’ health and educational facilities, and other officials.
A notable aspect of this assessment has been the positive reception from county officials, many of whom have expressed a desire for stronger collaboration, indicating a recognized local need and willingness for the IAA’s support in strengthening compliance.
This local acceptance suggests that county officials themselves recognize the value of internal audit in addressing their operational challenges and strengthening compliance.
The initial policy intent behind establishing CSCs was to enhance local governance and service accessibility, but the efficient operations of some of those County Service Centers are being challenged.
It’s against this backdrop, that the IAA’s deployment to CSCs is therefore crucial for fulfilling the true promise of decentralization by ensuring accountability, transparency, and efficiency at the local level, preventing the very backslide into centralized controls.
The deployment of these trained auditors to County Service Centers establishes a direct, on-the-ground presence for real-time monitoring of county development funds.
The third – leg assessment of the IAA with a focus on the South East , witnessed a smooth “Accountability Drive”, without any “Grueling Gauntlet” of torturous road conditions,
Travelling to the South East, was once considered as embarking on a perilous journey through the region’s notorious dilapidated road networks, but that narrative has changed.
For example, travel times that would have stretched into days, have now reduced to hours, due to works being done on the roads.
From its independent establishment to its strategic nationwide assessments, capacity-building programs, and ongoing deployment, the IAA is not merely auditing; it is actively building a more accountable, transparent, and efficient public sector for all Liberians.
Prior to the assessment mission in the South East, the IAA assessed and evaluated Service Centers in Margibi, Bong, Nimba, and Bomi.
Others are: Grand Cape Mount, Gbarpolu and Lofa counties.
The IAA is indeed helping Liberia “do the Right thing the Right Way,” safeguarding public resources and strengthening the fabric of governance for a prosperous future.
