Africa-Press – Gambia. Vice President Muhammed B. S. Jallow told lawmakers on Monday that government ministries and departments have begun addressing discrepancies identified in the Finance and Public Accounts Committee’s review of the 2020 audited state accounts.
Briefing the National Assembly, Mr. Jallow said the Accountant General’s Department is working closely with auditors and other stakeholders to resolve reconciliation backlogs, improve compliance, and strengthen reporting standards.
“The Accountant General’s Department has worked on various reconciliations and compliance issues; they will be working with the auditors for their confirmation,” he said, noting that several of the committee’s concerns were already under review.
Mr. Jallow also highlighted efforts to enforce the Public Finance Act of 2014. He said the Ministry of Finance and Economic Affairs is collaborating with the Accountant General’s Department and the Personnel Management Office to integrate the Human Resource Management Information System with the government’s payroll platform. That integration, officials say, is intended to curb budget overruns and limit unauthorized hiring.
Under Section 29A of the Public Finance Act, the Minister of Finance is prohibited from approving new positions not included in the approved manpower budget—a point the FPAC emphasized in its recommendations.
“The resolution is noted, and currently the Minister of Finance and Economic Affairs is working with stakeholders, the Accountant General’s Department, and the PMO to integrate HMIRS, that is, Human Resource Management Information System, and the IFMIS Payroll Module. This will go a long way in resolving the current budget shortfalls we are currently experiencing and reduce the extent to which violations are done,” Mr. Jallow said.
Addressing concerns about debt management and revenue collection, the vice president said the Finance Ministry maintains an annual borrowing plan, monitors loans to public enterprises, and has strengthened controls to limit financial irregularities.
“Through the Ministry of Finance and Economic Affairs and its stakeholders, the Accountant General Department and GRA robust control mechanisms have been put in place to monitor revenue collection processes,” he said.
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