AFROSAI-E is in Mozambique this week for a five-day Programmatic Audit Workshop, bringing together 30 participants to strengthen capacity for conducting programmatic audits and reinforce effective oversight of public funds.

The workshop, taking place from 31 August to 4 September, forms part of the ongoing collaboration between the Global Fund, Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, and AFROSAI-E to strengthen the capacity of Supreme Audit Institutions (SAIs) and enhance external oversight of public funds.

The opening ceremony was honoured by the presence of the Minister of Health of Mozambique, Dr Ussene Hilario Isse, alongside the President of the Administrative Tribunal, Madame Ana Maria Gemo, underscoring the importance of strong institutional oversight and accountability in the management of resources that support critical health programmes.

 

Strengthening oversight through partnership

The Global Fund, Gavi and AFROSAI-E have joined forces through a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) aimed at enhancing cooperation and strengthening the capacity of AFROSAI-E member SAIs.

The partnership reflects the Global Fund and Gavi’s objective of reinforcing the effectiveness of national external oversight systems for public funds. It also supports the broader ambition of having more Global Fund and Gavi grants managed through national financial management systems.

Strong and capable SAIs have an important role to play in this process. By strengthening their ability to conduct programmatic audits, the partnership contributes to greater accountability, improved oversight and more effective use of resources intended to deliver essential public services.

 

Building sustainable programmatic audit capacity

A key aim of the workshop is to increase the pool of trainers with the expertise to support programmatic audits. Developing this capacity within the region helps ensure continuity and sustainability as SAIs increasingly incorporate programmatic audits into their work.

Over the five days, participants are reviewing practical experiences from programmatic audits already conducted using the programmatic audit toolkit.

The workshop focuses on four key areas:

• Reviewing programmatic audits conducted by SAIs using the toolkit;
• Identifying gaps and areas for improvement in applying the toolkit and aligning audits with the methodology;
• Developing recommendations to address the gaps identified; and
• Preparing an action plan to support implementation going forward.

This approach moves beyond technical instruction by creating an opportunity for participants to reflect on experience, identify challenges and agree on practical actions to strengthen future audits.

 

Learning from regional experience

The facilitation model reflects the spirit of collaboration that underpins the initiative.

Alongside three technical subject matter experts from the AFROSAI-E Secretariat, the facilitation team includes experts from the SAIs of Tanzania, Liberia and Zambia.

These countries bring different levels of experience following programmatic audit training delivered through initiatives involving Gavi, Aidspan and AFROSAI-E. Bringing these perspectives together enables participants to learn not only from technical experts, but also from the practical experiences of peers who have applied programmatic audit approaches in their respective institutions.

The workshop therefore provides an important platform for peer learning, knowledge exchange and regional capacity building.

Through initiatives such as this, AFROSAI-E and its partners continue to support SAIs in strengthening public-sector accountability and building sustainable institutional capacity for effective oversight.