Senior Managers from Developing SAIs Participate in Canadian Study Program
Senior managers from the supreme audit institutions (SAIs) of our partnering countries are studying Canadian practices by meeting with experts at audit offices and institutions in this country. Based on their observations from these meetings, the managers work with CCAF mentors to develop projects addressing strategic needs in their offices.
The managers participate in these internships as part of CCAF's International Legislative Oversight Program (ILOP), funded by the Department of Foreign Affairs, Trade and Development (DFATD). CCAF launched the internship component of the ILOP in 2013 to help SAIs strengthen management practices.
Each internship focuses on a specific area of strategic need for the SAI, identified by the head of the SAI. In coordination with our Canadian partners, CCAF designs a program for each internship allowing the managers to observe and study Canadian practices and identify elements that could help the SAI address the identified need. These programs comprise a combination of activities, including:
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- Visits to the Office of the Auditor General (OAG) of Canada and provincial OAGs, public accounts committees, government departments and other institutions;
- Meetings with senior managers of Canadian OAGs and other experts working in auditing, financial management, planning and performance management; and
- Working sessions with CCAF mentors.
When the managers return home from Canada, CCAF provides follow-up support as needed to assist with the implementation of their projects.
Interns from Vietnam study audit supervision and review
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In March 2015, five members of the State Audit Office of Vietnam completed a Canadian internship: Mr. Cao Tan Duong, Ms. Hoang Thi Vinh Thuy, Ms. Vu Thi Thanh Hai, Mr. Nguyen Tuan Trung, and Ms. Han Thi Bich Hong. They focused on working to improve and standardize the supervision and review of performance audits at their SAI. This is an important need for the SAI at this time, as it develops its new performance audit division, finalizes its first performance audits, and develops its audit manuals. The interns will be incorporating what they learned into the SAI's quality assurance manual and other guidance documents. They will also apply it as the performance audit division plans and conducts its 2015 audits.
The five managers participated in a series of training and working sessions with CCAF on managing the audit process, as well as leadership, coaching and team management skills. In addition, they visited the OAGs of Canada, Nova Scotia and Alberta to learn about these offices' practices for managing, supervising and reviewing performance audits.
Previously completed internships
Ghana – Environmental Auditing Capacity Building (January 2015)
Lawrence Ayagiba, an Assistant Auditor General (and CCAF graduate Fellow, 2009-10) worked with CCAF on the course design and planning for the new CCAF environmental auditing course, tailoring it to the needs of the Ghana office and to the context of environmental issues in Africa. The course was designed and developed with significant contributions from the OAGs of Quebec and of British Columbia, and also from retired experts from the OAG of Canada and the SAI of the United States. The course was then successfully delivered in Ghana March 8-13, 2015. During his internship Lawrence also visited to the OAG of Canada to learn about its approach to multi-year performance audit planning.
Cameroon and Tanzania – Stakeholder Relations and Communications Strategy (November-December 2014)
Olivier Essama and Louise Mbangue of Cameroon and Benja Majura and Sarah Reuben of Tanzania studied stakeholder relations and drafted communications strategies for their SAIs, addressing their offices’ relations with parliament, oversight committees, media and civil society. They visited the OAGs of Canada, Quebec and Nova Scotia, as well as the municipal audit offices of Halifax and Quebec City, to learn about their practices and review their communications strategies. They also observed the tabling of the Auditor General of Canada’s Fall 2014 Report and attended a meeting of the Public Accounts Committee. The interns worked with a team of mentors at CCAF to draft the communications for their SAIs.
Ghana – Strategic and Operational Planning (April-May 2014)
During Assistant Auditor General Johnson Asiedu's internship, he met with the OAG of Canada, OAG of Ontario, and federal agencies including Canada Border Services Agency, Treasury Board, and Health Canada. He worked closely with CCAF Associate Lee McCormack to examine Canadian practices in planning and see what improvements could be made to the structure, content and process of developing the 2015-2019 strategic plan and 2015 operational plan at his SAI. During his time in Canada, he began to develop his SAI's strategic plan and outlined a detailed process to complete it on his return to Ghana. The strategic plan was completed and approved by the board of the SAI in December 2014. Johnson has recently been promoted to Deputy Auditor General.
Cameroon – Quality Control and Assurance (October-November 2013)
Rose Djila’s internship program included short placements at the OAGs of Canada and Quebec and meetings with internal auditors for the Quebec Ministry of Justice, Société d’assurance Automobile du Québec and the Auditor General of Montreal’s Société de transport. She also worked with CCAF mentors to produce a guide for her SAI on quality control and assurance of its audits. This guide was developed as a complement to the audit manual already developed by the SAI, as part of a separate DFATD-funded project. The SAI of Cameroon intends to make this guide available to the other members of CREFIAF, the regional association of the SAIs of French-speaking African countries.
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