In appreciation of the national achievements and gains achieved in the Sultanate of Oman in various development fields, and in celebration of the glorious 53rd National Day, Sheikh Ghuson bin Hilal Al Alawi, Chairman of State Audit Institution, has expressed sincere greeting and gratitude to His Majesty Sultan Haitham bin Tarik, coupled with prayers to Allah the Almighty to return this dear national occasion on His Majesty with good health, and to Oman and the loyal Omani people with goodness, prosperity, and continued progress.
In a statement, he has emphasised that the comprehensive development process since the beginning of the blessed renaissance and in its renewed and auspicious era is full of achievements that narrate the royal will of the wise leadership, in addition to institutional work and community solidarity towards building Omani monuments in all fields.
This indicates that the various sectors have received attention and care to achieve national objectives, for which society is the tool and the goal.
Sheikh Ghuson Al Alawi states that celebrating the glorious anniversary of the National Day represents an appreciation of national gains and achievements, stressing the shared responsibility at the institutional and societal levels to preserve and direct them optimally.
He has stated that the process of auditing has witnessed significant progress at the level of subordination, naming, regulating laws, and others.
He also confirmed the keenness of SAI in performing its national role by harnessing all its resources and directing its expertise to achieve its objectives, implement its responsibilities, and work on continuous alignment of its work with Oman Vision 2040, particularly the goals related to its field of competence, such as comprehensive, effective and independent audit systems that protect public fund, achieve the principles of accountability and accounting and achieve added value to the national economy and government performance.
In addition, SAI devotes its care towards promoting integrity, employing transparency and awareness, preventing and combating administrative and financial corruption to ensure complete alignment with the requirements of the visions and objectives set by His Majesty Sultan Haitham bin Tarik.
The SAI Chairman indicated that SAI is keen to adopt the best international practices in auditing and promoting integrity, confirming that the Institution devotes special attention to contributing in and benefiting from the activities and initiatives implemented by specialised regional and international organisations such as the International Organization of Supreme Audit Institutions (INTOSAI), the Arab and the Asian Organizations of Supreme Audit Institutions (ARBOSAI and ASOSAI), and the committees at the level of the Gulf Cooperation Council.
Furthermore, the Chairman stated that the Institution seeks to build professional partnerships with peer Institutions to exchange expertise and transfer experiences, which enhances the professional career building of human resources, affirming the appreciation that the Institution receives for its professional contributions through the presidency or membership of committees and executive councils and its implementation of a number of qualitative training programmes by national specialised competencies, as well as pointing to the attention the Institution pays towards building the capabilities of the employees of entities subject to its audit in the areas of auditing, financial management, audit of contract and tender activities and other related fields, indicating the high added value resulting from such programs implemented by the Institution in the governorates of Oman represented in the achievement of preventive audit and enhancement of professional knowledge.
Sheikh Ghuson Al Alawi further pointed out that while preparing annual audit plans, the Institution seeks to achieve the principle of accuracy in selecting audit topics and exercise professional care in implementing various types of audits such as financial, administrative, and performance audits.
The Institution takes into consideration the standards issued by specialised international organisations in which it participates as a member, and in accordance with a scientific methodology that is based on risk analysis and materiality, and in line with the model prepared for selecting audit topics and determining the entities to be included within the annual audit plan so that the objectives and timeframe of each audit task are precisely defined, and the audit program is prepared.
He stressed that audit reports and the observations therein are based on accurate data and evidence, according to which the Institution provides necessary recommendations to rectify the observations.
Sheikh Ghuson Al Alawi also added that the issuance of audit reports is carried out in cooperation and effective partnership with the entities subject to the audit of the Institution according to a clear and transparent work mechanism, as the preparation of reports goes through several stages to ensure the validity and accuracy of the data contained therein.
The initial results are then sent to the entity subject to audit upon completion of the task and meetings are conducted with the entity's specialists to discuss the Institution observations and recommendations. A draft report is later sent to the concerned official in the entity to receive its response which is included in the final report, in a written form.
Sheikh Ghuson Al Alawi further stated that the implementation of the recommendations set out in the report by the entities subject to the audit will certainly improve their performance, and ensure the achievement of highest levels of productivity and efficiency and optimal investment of human and financial resources to achieve public interest, which represents an added value to the Institution’s work.
The Institution aims to increase the implementation rate of its recommendations by the entities subject to its audit in the coming years, which will support the role of the Institution in protecting public fund, preserving the achievements of the blessed renaissance and verify the safety of their use and proper management, as well as consolidating transparency and accountability in the sound use of public fund and achieving the objectives for which these entities have been established.
As to the process of digital transformation in the Institution, he also stated that information technology, communications and artificial intelligence are amongst the main tools used to improve the performance and raise the efficiency of using resources. Hence, the Institution pays great attention and devotes its special care to activate the use of information technology as all audit and administrative works are managed by integrated automated systems that allow ease and accuracy of information flow and retrieval, keeping pace with the technical development that is in line with the government digital transformation plan, as it is a key supporter for the strategic and vital sectors in Oman.
The SAI Chairman concluded his statement by affirming that State Audit Institution pays full attention to contribute actively in advancing development across the Sultanate of Oman, side by side with all state institutions.
Moreover, the Institution harnesses its energies and capabilities to preserve public funds, State’s capabilities and public properties, and preserve the State’s achievements.
It also contributes to the prosperity of the nation, integrity promotion, reduction of public fund misuse, and efficiency raising of its use, in addition to activating community and institutional participation. As a result, this will promote the achievement of the national objectives, economic growth, and social well-being under the wise leadership of His Majesty Sultan Haitham bin Tarik.
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