Sheikh Ahmed bin Mohammed: Auditors must keep pace with digital transformation.
His Excellency Sheikh Ahmed bin Mohammed Al Khalifa, Auditor General of the National Audit Office (NAO), praised the level of cooperation and coordination between the Gulf Supreme Audit Institutions and called for more joint work based on mutual interest to benefit all.
He explained that the rapid digital and technological transformation the world was witnessing in various fields and sectors, and as a result the mandatory dealing with big data, risks, information systems, cybersecurity and other aspects, required from auditors to keep pace with those developments and update auditing methods to suit these changes.
This came on the sidelines of H.E.’s participation in the 20th meeting of the Heads of the Supreme Audit Institutions of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), which was held in Muscat, Sultanate of Oman, under the chairmanship of H.E. Sheikh Ghosn Hilal Al Alawi, Chairman of the State Audit Institution of the Sultanate of Oman, and attended by H.E. Assistant Secretary General of the Gulf Cooperation Council, Counselor Sultan bin Nasser Al-Suwaidi.
“Although technology depends on machines, programming and artificial intelligence, the human element remains the basis for progress and development, which means that raising the pace of training, upgrading capabilities, improving competencies and increasing the exchange of experiences and knowledge whether at regional or international levels is very important," Sheikh Ahmed added.
The meeting approved the training plan for the years 2024-2025 and the operational plan for the strategic training plan 2023-2025, which were prepared by the National Audit Office of the Kingdom of Bahrain.
The heads of the SAIs were briefed on the topics of the sixth competition of the Gulf Cooperation Council for Research and Studies in the field of auditing and accounting consisting of two categories. The first competition category is for employees with less than ten years of service and deals with the topics "The importance of information systems auditing and cybersecurity in the public sector" and "The role of supreme audit institutions in facing the challenges of applying artificial intelligence in audit work".
The second competition category aims at employees with more than ten years of service and discusses the topic "The added value achieved by the Supreme Audit Institutions ... the method of measuring it and ways to highlight and display it". The SAI head were also informed about the amendment of the competition's regulations.
Furthermore, the proposal to sign two memorandums of understanding, one with King Fahd Library and another with the INTOSAI Development Initiative (IDI) was approved.
In addition, the updates of some manuals (Performance Audit Manual, Audit Report Preparation and Writing Manual, Information Technology Audit Manual, Privatization Audit Manual, Governance Audit Manual, Public Projects Audit Manual).
The meeting was attended by H.E. the Auditor General of the National Audit Office (NAO) of the Kingdom of Bahrain, Head of the Bahrain delegation, and other representatives from the NAO, Dr. Isa Alnoaimi, Assistant Auditor General for Administrative Audit, Mr. Mohamed Amin Hulaiwah, Director Public Relations & International Cooperation, Mr. Maitham Saeed, Director Information Systems Audit, and Mr. Mohammed Fuad Sater, Head of Public Relations at the Auditor General’s office.
