Sierra Leone audit committee calls for tighter local finances
By the AFREEQUE newsroom, based on Sierra Loaded
Sierra Leone’s parliamentary Public Accounts Committee has completed five days of hearings with local councils to verify implementation of recommendations from the 2023 financial audit. It called in particular for improvements to revenue, land documents and procurement procedures, according to Sierra Loaded.
The Public Accounts Committee of the Parliament of Sierra Leone concluded five days of hearings with district and city councils on Saturday 31 October to assess implementation of the recommendations in the Auditor-General’s report for the 2023 financial year, reports Sierra Loaded.
The discussions covered local revenue falling below forecasts, the absence of title deeds for council-owned properties and the use of requests for quotations rather than national competitive bidding to award certain contracts. The committee called on local authorities to diversify their revenue, update their tax databases and improve collection, while respecting the thresholds set by public procurement rules.
Chief administrators, finance directors and revenue, human resources and communications officials had to present evidence of the measures taken. The committee also visited project sites to verify implementation of the recommendations and demanded documents confirming completed actions, according to Sierra Loaded.
