At the invitation of Mr. Girish Chandra Murmu, Comptroller and Auditor General of India, the Auditor General (AG) of Maldives, Mr. Hussain Niyazy is on an official visit to India from 28th February to 10th March 2022. He is accompanied by a delegation from the Auditor General’s Office of the Maldives comprising Ms. Nishwa Firaq, Director of, Mr. Ali Naseer, Director, Mr. Ahmed Ashfaq, Manager, Mr. Mohamed Ibrahim Jaleel, Manager and Ms. Hawwa Saaiga, Manager.
On 7th March 2022, CAG, Mr. Murmu met with Mr. Hussain Niyazy, Auditor General (AG) of Maldives and his delegation. During the meeting, both sides discussed concrete steps for furthering the cooperation between the SAIs through operationalizing the MoU.
CAG, Mr. Murmu began his address by welcoming Mr. Hussain Niyazy and the delegation from SAI Maldives to India. He reiterated his commitment to sharing knowledge and capacity development, under the aegis of the MoU, by offering to host members from SAI Maldives for customized training programmes at the training institutions – the National Academy of Audit and Accounts (NAAA), Shimla, International Centre for Information Systems and Audit (iCISA), NOIDA, and the International Centre for Environment Audit and Sustainable Development (iCED), Jaipur.
Auditor General, Mr. Niyazy also expressed his sincere gratitude to CAG of India for inviting and hosting him and his delegation. He said that he and his delegation felt honoured and privileged to visit India and thanked the CAG for the generous hospitality and excellent arrangements made to receive them.
Auditor General, Mr. Niyazy alluded to the signing of the MOU, in October 2021 to further strengthen the cooperation between the SAIs of Maldives and India in the areas public audit and enhance their ability to achieve the objective of holding their respective governments to account for stewardship of public resources.
Auditor General, Mr. Niyazy further emphasized that the signing of the MOU was a testament to the long-standing friendship and brotherhood between the two countries. He was pleased to note that both the SAIs are making commendable progress in terms of taking the necessary steps towards achieving the objectives of the MOU and developing the necessary capacities of their staff.
Auditor General, Mr. Niyazy also mentioned that they have been a recipient of many capacity development opportunities offered to their country by the Government of India and the esteemed institution of SAI India has always graciously provided the necessary technical expertise and support in training their staff in the training facilities of SAI India.
CAG, Mr. Murmu emphasized the role of technology, in today’s rapidly changing world, which constantly create fresh avenues for audit and make audits more efficient. He was confident that the exchange of knowledge and capacity development initiatives between both the SAIs would equip them with necessary skills and expertise required for the use of emerging technologies for auditing.
CAG, Mr. Murmu also made a mention of the Public Accounting System of the Maldives, which was rolled out in 2009, as a centralized and automated accounting system that uses System Application Product (SAP) and the interest shown by the Auditor General in collaborating with SAI India to develop capacity in their SAI for auditing internal revenue management through SAP.
CAG offered customized training programs on IT Audit/SAP for participants of SAI Maldives either at iCISA, Noida or at SAI Maldives depending on mutual convenience.
While revisiting discussions he held with the CAG in Maldives, Mr. Niyazy reiterated that they are in great need of enhancing their existing performance audit and information systems audit capacities. Furthermore, as SAI Maldives has recently established an environmental audit unit, their capacity to conduct high quality environmental audits needs strengthening; these areas of audit are among their key priorities.
CAG, Mr. Murmu also appreciated the Auditor General for his interest in development of soft skills like secretarial skills, communication skills, organizational skills, work ethics (interpersonal skills), etc. of his staff in SAI Maldives and offered the opportunity to attend Regional Training Institutes (RTIs) of SAI India for such trainings.
Auditor General, Mr. Niyazy opined that both the SAIs have signed the MOU at the most opportune time given their strategic shift towards future relevance which requires them to cater to the demands of the knowledge economy and sustainable development.
Auditor General, Mr. Niyazy mentioned that they had the honour of touring the National Academy of Audit and Accounts in Shimla which was an enriching experience for them. According to Mr. Niyazy, he and his team were impressed by the quality of training facilities and programs conducted by the Academy. Auditor General expressed his desire to explore the possibility of officers of SAI Maldives being enrolled in the international engagement programs as such an opportunity would enable their staff to develop new skills and acquire new knowledge relevant to their areas of responsibility.
CAG, Mr. Murmu offered to explore participation of one or two officers of SAI Maldives in Orientation Training Programmes (OTPs) along with their IA&AS officers at NAAA, Shimla. This is currently being done for Officers of SAI Bhutan under the Indian Technical and Economic Cooperation (ITEC) and two officer trainees from SAI Maldives could be trained under the TCS Colombo Plan of ITEC, with SAI India’s IA&AS Officer Trainees for 54 weeks at the National Academy of Audit and Accounts, Shimla.
Auditor General, Mr. Niyazy expressed pride in being associated with a renowned and well-established institution like SAI India. He was also appreciative of the fact the SAI India, with its proud history and long-standing tradition of being at the forefront of embracing technology, has contributed immensely to the development of the practice of public sector auditing. Auditor General, Mr. Niyazy was effusive in commending SAI India for its success and the heights it continues to reach.
CAG was delighted to welcome the Auditor General to join WGITA as a member. Since its inception in 1989, the WGITA has been providing support to member SAIs in developing knowledge and skills in the audit of Information Technology. This includes a high-level guidance document in the INTOSAI Framework on Information Systems Audits. Besides other guidance materials on IT Governance, Data Mining, Cloud computing, Data Analytics Guideline. WGITA, presently consists of 56 members and six observers SAIs/organizations.
CAG, Mr. Murmu expressed hope that through such collaboration at multiple levels, the bilateral relations between SAI India and SAI Maldives would enter a transformative phase.
CAG, Mr. Murmu, while concluding his speech, again extended a warm welcome to the Auditor General and his entire delegation and assured him of wholehearted support to work closely with SAI Maldives.
Auditor General, Mr. Niyazy, also thanked the CAG, for inviting him to India and hosting the delegation. He also appreciated the dedication and commitment demonstrated by our team to make this trip a truly enlightening experience for them.
