Contributed by Shadreck Munemiwa, Frank Chitanda and Sophie Musa from SAI Malawi

The AFROSAI-E SAI Enhancement Audit Tool (A-SEAT) is an online audit management system designed for paperless audit management, aiming to enhance the SAI’s audit performance. The tool’s functionality is tailored to meet the needs of SAIs and customised according to their audit processes (planning, execution, reporting, quality control, and assurance).

SAI Malawi adopted the use of the A-SEAT and was designated as the M-SEAT.

SAI Malawi’s M-SEAT project kicked off with a comprehensive Information Technology Maturity Assessment (SAI ITMA), supported by the GIZ, to assist the SAI’s automation team in determining areas of improvement that may impact the M-SEAT and other automation projects. An SAI ITMA action plan was developed in alignment with the SAIs’ Strategic Plan.

The SAI Malawi pilot team training was conducted in November 2022, with pilot audits commencing in December 2022 and concluding four months later. The rollout training and support for the staff at the head office and regional offices were done over the course of various support visits.

Following the February 2025 AFROSAI-E training workshop for administrators and project managers on the enhanced features of A-SEAT, the SAI Malawi team updated the training system and introduced the new features to the management team.

The next step was to train trainers within the SAI on the new system functionalities, which include flexibility and trend analysis in overall planning, weighted risk assessments, electronic working papers and inclusion of findings among other factors. This Training of Trainers workshop took place from 11 to 15 August in Lilongwe, Malawi, supported by the African Development Bank (AfDB).

The workshop was an excellent platform to collect user experiences, challenges and system improvement suggestions.

Participants also reviewed and updated the automation task force plans and recommended the following interventions:

• Champions to organise internal refresher training.
• Change management workshops to change their mindset.
• Methodology training or refresher workshops.

The workshop evaluation showed that participants felt the intervention objectives were achieved and their expectations of the new functionalities were met. Following the rollout and support mission, all participants felt confident in providing training and support to other SAI staff on the new M-SEAT functionalities.