The Internal Audit Directorate of the Ministry of Finance, with support from the Global Fund and the African Federation of Institutes of Internal Auditors (AFIIA), has completed a nationwide training initiative aimed at strengthening control, risk, and compliance in Sierra Leone’s public sector.
The program covered three regions and began on February 9, 2026, in Freetown. It continued on February 11 in Bo and concluded on February 12 in Makeni.
Director of Internal Audit Kandeh M. Sesay explained that the workshop was intended to improve understanding of roles within Public Financial Management and governance. “The objectives are to enhance awareness of the mandate role and expectation of the Internal Audit Directorate in promoting effective governance risk management and internal control system, to strengthen stakeholders’ understanding of the internal control risk compliance frameworks and their relevance to accountability, transparency to service delivery, and promote alignment with applicable laws and regulations, and to strengthen collaborations,” said Sesay.
He further stated that following the training, they expect institutions to have a better grasp of control risk and compliance frameworks. He also mentioned improved appreciation for the functions of internal auditors, enhanced coordination between auditors and audit committees, as well as identification of key capacity gaps and risks along with actionable recommendations.
Augustus Cole, Senior Non-Key Expert for Internal Audit under an EU-funded project, presented an overview of the draft Enterprise Risk Management (ERM) Policy for Sierra Leone’s government. His presentation included institutional responsibilities, collaboration mechanisms, structures for managing risks, benefits associated with risk management practices, assurance providers for risk management processes, as well as approaches to risk assessment.
Philip Goba, Training Manager at Audit Sierra Leone, provided examples illustrating effective implementation practices for controls. He discussed standards relevant to public sector organizations and outlined common challenges faced by Ministries, Departments & Agencies (MDAs) along with Local Councils in maintaining adherence to internal controls.
Participants in this training included council administrators, council chairmen, audit committee chairpersons, internal auditors, finance officers, permanent secretaries, accountants, procurement officers, deputy secretaries and other vote controllers.