By: Kebba Ansu Manneh
Auditor General Modou Ceesay unveiled the National Audit Office’s (NAO) 2025-2029 Strategic Plan on Thursday. This comprehensive roadmap is designed to enhance public resource management, improve financial reporting, and bolster governance for effective service delivery across The Gambia.
At the launch ceremony, Ceesay underscored the plan’s significance in fulfilling the NAO’s role as the Supreme Audit Institution (SAI). “This strategic plan is a testament to our renewed commitment to strengthening the office and executing our constitutional mandate,” he stated. “It drives the NAO to produce work that improves the public sector and addresses societal challenges, aligning with INTOSAI’s principle (P12) to make a tangible difference in citizens’ lives.”
The five-year plan focuses on four core objectives: enhancing NAO’s independence, increasing public trust, improving public sector financial reporting, and optimizing public resource management. Ceesay emphasized the need for NAO’s administrative and financial autonomy, referencing the Lima and Mexico Declarations of INTOSAI, which guide SAI independence.
To foster public trust, the NAO aims to lead by example, adhering to INTOSAI’s Pillar 3 to maintain credibility and relevance. “Public credibility is essential, and we recognize the importance of safeguarding that trust over the next five years,” Ceesay noted. The plan also prioritizes establishing a standardized national financial reporting framework, addressing persistent gaps highlighted in NAO reports and stakeholder engagements.
Ceesay stressed the importance of stakeholder collaboration to achieve these goals, with engagement identified as a core strategic priority. The plan also emphasizes building institutional capacity in governance, audit standards, human resources, IT infrastructure, and quality management, guided by tools like the INTOSAI Performance Measurement Framework and AfroSAI’s capacity-building framework.
“We acknowledge that achieving these ambitious goals requires the full commitment of diverse stakeholders,” Ceesay said. “By strengthening accountability, transparency, and integrity, the NAO aims to positively impact citizens’ livelihoods and set a model for public institutions.”
The launch of the 2025-2029 Strategic Plan marks a pivotal moment for The Gambia’s public sector, positioning the NAO to drive transformative change and enhance service delivery over the next five years.
