Mr Modou Ceesay appointed as the new Auditor General of The Gambia

Mr Modou Ceesay is the new Auditor General of the National Audit Office (NAO) of the Gambia following his appointment in November 2022. Before his appointment, Mr Ceesay was the Chief Executive of the Internal Audit Directorate under the Ministry of Finance and Economic Affairs of the Government of The Gambia. During this time, he collaborated with the NAO’s management on external audit issues, including efforts to synergise the work of the two institutions.

His role at the Internal Audit Directorate included leading the public sector internal audit to facilitate the roll-out of internal audit services to all ministries, departments, and agencies in central government. Under his leadership, the unit also developed related policies and procedures in internal controls, risk management, and wider governance issues.

Mr Ceesay also served in the Accountant General’s Department (AGD) as Principal Accountant, tasked with producing government financial statements in compliance with the cash basis of International Public Sector Accounting Standards (IPSAS). In this role, Mr Ceesay emerged as the first government official to compile the financial statements wholly after the departure of the World Bank-sponsored consultants.

During his tenure at the AGD, he led the set-up of the cash management unit, spearheaded the implementation of the treasury management software module as part of the Integrated Financial Management System (IFMIS) of the Gambia Government, and served as a trainer of trainers. Mr Ceesay also championed and coordinated the smooth implementation of the Electronic Records Management (ERM) system for the Government, including training of designated government officials – the Commonwealth Secretariat and the UNDP supported this. Mr Ceesay has over 11 years of experience in senior executive management roles. He has garnered years of experience in promoting transparent and responsible use of public finances in government ministries, departments, and agencies, as well as local government and in the implementation of donor-funded projects. He is pursuing a Master of Science degree (MSc) in Public Management in International Cooperation. He holds a bachelor’s degree (major in economics) and ACCA Professional Accountant Certification (master’s degree equivalent). He is also a fellow of Certified Internal Auditor/PIIA, UK; Fellow of Chartered Internal Auditor Member (UK); Associate member of ISACA Certified Information System Auditor (CISA, USA), amongst others.