PM Launches Audit Bureau's Strategic Plan 2024-2027

(MENAFN- Jordan News Agency)

Amman, August 29 (Petra) – Prime Minister, Bisher Khasawneh, on Thursday launched the Audit Bureau's (AB) Strategic Plan for 2024-2027, outlining a comprehensive roadmap, aimed at enhancing transparency, accountability, and integration among Jordan's state institutions.
Speaking at the launching ceremony, Radi Hamadin, President of the AB, said the strategic plan frames a "clear" roadmap based on the directives of his majesty King Abdullah II to develop the work of the Supreme Audit Institution in the Kingdom.
This plan aims to achieve integration among all state institutions, reflecting the Royal directives that emphasize the need to refine the Bureau's work methodology and the mechanism for preparing its reports, said an AB statement.
This effort seeks to ensure that the Bureau maintains its role as the Kingdom's top auditing body, while adhering to the "highest" standards of objectivity and transparency.
Hamadin explained that the Bureau is dedicated to fulfilling the King's vision for economic modernization and aligning with the roadmap for revamping the public sector with its seven components.
Hamadin added that the Bureau adopts auditing methodologies that enhance revenue centers and ensure the integrity and completeness of computerized financial information systems.
He emphasized that the preparation of the strategic plan involved multiple stages of careful planning and study, based on a "sound and solid" methodology. This process was designed to meet the expectations of all stakeholders, primarily legislative authorities, government agencies subject to oversight, professional organizations, international partners, and citizens.
He also noted the comprehensive assessment included an analysis of the Bureau's work environment and the realities within entities subject to oversight, using advanced methods of analysis and investigation.
The results of previous strategic plans were reviewed, leading to the determination of the Bureau's role within the administrative and economic modernization paths ordered by His Majesty the King. Hamadin highlighted that the plan is rooted in the use of technology and the competent human element and includes five strategic objectives, under which 19 axes fall.
He further elaborated that the Bureau audits the financial statements of political parties and electoral campaigns in cooperation with the Independent Election Commission (IEC). Recently, the Bureau organized a specialized training workshop on auditing electoral campaigns and party financing, drawing on international experiences in collaboration with the SIGMA initiative.
Additionally, the Bureau plans to hold a workshop for new members of the Lower House in cooperation with the IEC and the Integrity and Anti-Corruption Commission. The goal is to inform new members about the roles played by oversight bodies and the significance of oversight reports and audit outcomes in enhancing accountability.
In strengthening its relationship with the private sector, the Bureau has signed several memoranda of understanding with professional organizations, associations, and major accounting firms to provide specialized training for technical cadres. Two additional memoranda of understanding will be signed with the UAE Accountability Authority and the Polish Agency for Audit Oversight. The Bureau already maintains similar agreements with agencies in Saudi Arabia and Qatar.
Hamadin pointed out that in line with the royal directives to enhance the independence and professionalism of the Audit Bureau, there is an intention to subject the Bureau to a peer review in cooperation with supreme audit institutions from the United Kingdom and Poland.
This peer review is considered one of the best international practices and will be implemented in the Kingdom for the first time. A proactive mission will be undertaken to evaluate the Bureau's performance and independence, using the performance measurement model approved by the International Organization of Supreme Audit Institutions (INTOSAI), in cooperation with the World Bank.
He confirmed that the Bureau will embark on a highly significant audit mission at the national level over the next three months. This mission will involve evaluating the work of internal control units and systems in all entities subject to audit. The mission is a prerequisite for focusing on subsequent audit practices and gradually reducing prior audit procedures, which will enhance the Bureau's independence and give audited entities greater freedom in decision-making, ultimately aiding in the timely completion of citizens' transactions.
Hamadin expressed his gratitude for the substantial support provided by the government to enhance the independence of the Bureau and to support its institutional development plans. He also acknowledged the efforts of the committee tasked with correcting and following up on documented inquiries, which contribute to expediting the response of concerned parties in rectifying observed violations.
Pilar Ormijana, Regional Director for the Southern European Union Region in the OECD's SIGMA program, noted that SIGMA has been collaborating with Jordan since 2009, with funding from the European Union, enabling work in various fields.
She emphasized that the AB, as the supreme financial oversight institution in Jordan, plays a crucial role in managing public finances by ensuring that government accounts are managed fairly and transparently, thereby guaranteeing that public funds are spent for their intended purposes and in accordance with relevant laws and regulations.
Ormijana highlighted that the importance of the Audit Bureau's effective work extends beyond financial aspects, as it contributes to improving the efficiency and effectiveness of government operations and ensures accountability for those responsible for managing public funds.
She praised the strategic plan's comprehensive and professional preparation, which was conducted after evaluating current strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats.
The plan was developed in line with the roadmap for modernizing the public sector and aims to enhance accountability and governance in government agencies, ensuring integration with the Anti-Corruption Commission and internal control units. The plan includes ambitious goals for the future and outlines the vision that the Audit Bureau seeks to achieve.
Secretary-General of the AB, Ahmed Sawai, presented the key features of the Bureau's modern audit methodologies. He stressed that the strategic plan's objectives are encapsulated in an audit approach based on risk assessment, ensuring the quality of audit operations and their outputs, focusing on opportunities to improve revenues and control spending, providing appropriate and applicable recommendations, and evaluating and improving governance, internal control, and risk management systems.
Sawai explained that the application of modern methodologies extends to all the main targeted auditing work in the Bureau, which includes financial control, performance control, operations and compliance control, project control, information systems control, and an overall assessment of governance frameworks, risk management, strategies, and internal controls within entities.

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