Log in
Tomasi Nailatica DaunabunaOffice of the Auditor General of Fiji Senior IT Auditor Gallery
|
My FellowshipMy Canadian placement:Auditor General’s Office, City of Toronto My Canadian audit team:I contributed to several follow-up audits, led by Senior Audit Managers Suzanna Chan, Cecelia Jiang, and Andrew Krupowicz. I was also part of teams planning audits on the Toronto Zoo’s Cybersecurity and on Cybersecurity Risks of Third-party Shared Services, both led by Syed Ali, Assistant Auditor General, IT & Strategy and Andrew Krupowicz. My most valuable learning:Through the Fellowship, I learned to develop the ability to critically evaluate how clients implement recommendations, including identifying gaps, challenges, and areas for improvement. How my Canadian colleagues and mentors helped me:My colleagues and mentors helped me better understand how to effectively assess and evaluate the implementation of recommendations by focusing on the core requirements of each recommendation and reviewing the evidence clients provided to demonstrate that the recommendations had been properly implemented. They have also assisted me in evaluating and drafting the Terms of Reference needed for a cybersecurity audit. What I enjoyed most:What I enjoyed the most is how the host office welcomed me not as Fellow but as a professional in the audit field. I also enjoyed the hospitality, supportive team, and positive work environment in the Toronto Auditor General’s Office. The discussions, brainstorming sessions, and the subject matter experts agreeing with my input and assessments were particularly encouraging. My audit plan:Management of illicit drugs seized by law enforcementI developed my audit plan with the guidance of my mentor at the City of Toronto Auditor General’s Office, Audit Manager Anil Bux. The connection to my country’s development priorities:A performance audit on the management of seized illicit drugs is critical because Fiji is facing increasing risks from transnational drug trafficking, methamphetamine distribution, and concerns over the integrity, storage, accountability, and disposal of seized narcotics. Weak controls over seized drugs can undermine public trust, contribute to corruption, threaten community safety, and negatively affect vulnerable groups, including women and youth who are disproportionately impacted by drug-related violence, exploitation, and social harm. The audit directly supports the following Sustainable Development Goals:
The audit aligns with Fiji’s National Development Plan and Vision 2050 priorities on good governance, national security, justice sector strengthening, and combating illicit drugs and organized crime. It also aligns with the Fiji Police Force Five-Year Strategic Plan 2025–2029, particularly on the following pillars:
Conducting this audit would provide assurance on whether seized illicit drugs are securely managed, properly recorded, safeguarded from diversion or tampering, and disposed of in accordance with laws and policies, thereby supporting the Government of Fiji’s broader efforts to strengthen institutional integrity and public safety. How CAAF and my host office helped:The mentoring and training courses helped me understand the importance of keeping audits focused and strategic. I also learned how to maintain a clear line of sight between the audit objectives and linking them back to National Development Goals as well as Sustainable Development Goals. They also strengthened my knowledge on how to incorporate vulnerable communities into the audit planning process. The skills and knowledge I improved by developing this plan:The skills and knowledge I improved included strengthening audit scoping by clearly defining what is in scope and not within scope while providing justified reasons for exclusions. I also learned how to map audit criteria to the audit scope, apply root cause analysis when identifying issues, and align lines of enquiry with the criteria and scope to ensure they effectively support the audit objective. My future impact:The new knowledge I’m most excited to share with my colleagues:The new knowledge I am most excited to share with my colleagues includes improving the overall alignment of each audit step to ensure greater consistency and effectiveness throughout the audit process. I am also eager to enhance our understanding of business information gathering, as this is critical for conducting well-informed audits. Another key area is the application of root cause analysis when identifying issues, which will help in developing recommendations that address the underlying causes rather than just the symptoms. I also gained valuable insights into conducting a more thorough assessment of IT controls during IT audit planning. Finally, I am keen to emphasize the importance of rigorous follow-up on the implementation of recommendations, particularly for issues that clients have assessed as fully implemented, to ensure that corrective actions are truly effective and sustainable. The difference I hope to make:I hope to ensure that audits are more current, inclusive, evidence-based, and focused on outcomes that affect vulnerable communities and contribute to improved accountability, better public sector performance, and more effective implementation of national development priorities. My professional goals:My professional goals when I return are to assist in training and sharing the lessons learned from the CAAF Fellowship with my colleagues, particularly in the area of performance auditing. I also aim to advocate for the inclusion of cybersecurity audits as a key area within IT Audit, recognizing the growing importance of information security and digital risk management. In addition, I intend to improve follow-up audits by ensuring that recommendations are properly implemented, leading to meaningful and impactful changes within Ministries, Departments, stakeholders, and ultimately the country as a whole. |
||||
My Experience |
|||||
|
The most Canadian thing I did was…Ordering a Double-Double from Tim Hortons. My favourite cultural experience in Canada was…Walking in -30 degrees to the CAAF office. |
|
||||
Gallery
LinkedIn
Twitter