Kebba AF Touray
The Auditor General (AG) of the National Audit Office (NAO) has raised concerns regarding the government’s failure to recover over 2.5 million dalasi in loans issued to civil servants. This issue was highlighted in the AG’s 2023 Management Letter, part of the annual audit of government accounts.
According to the AG’s findings, a total of GMD 5,651,668 was disbursed as 1X6 loans to staff across five ministries in 2023. However, GMD 2,500,068.49 remains outstanding and unrecovered. The ministries implicated include Health, Defence, Interior, and the Ministry of Basic and Secondary Education (MoBSE).
The AG warned that the failure to recover these loans poses significant financial risks, leading to losses for the government. “Ineffective monitoring and enforcement of loan repayments compromises the accuracy and reliability of payroll and financial records, potentially resulting in material misstatements and weakening the overall internal control environment,” the AG stated.
In response, the Accountant General’s office indicated that they are currently analysing the unrecovered loans to determine their source and the impact of potential recovery actions. Despite this assurance, the Auditor General noted that the issue remained unresolved at the time the management letter was finalized.
The AG recommended that the Accountant General should ensure all pending 1 by 6 loans are recovered and provide evidence of recovery to the audit team for further review.
