From October 30 th to November 3 rd , 2023, NAO’s Extractive Industries (EI) Working Group
members benefited from a week-long workshop facilitated by the AFROSAI-E technical
facilitators and a peer from SAI Uganda. The week-long event included a review of the updated
risk matrix along the AFROSAI-E EI Value chain, which the team worked on after the
consultative workshop with public, private, CSOs, and National Assembly Members in January
2023.
The members also went on an excursion to a sand dredging site and a sand mining site to
better understand the work of the private operators including their regulation, monitoring, and
accountability by the government. These field visits accorded the members relevant information
to refine their identified risks for the identification of EI-related audit topics for the consideration
of the AG; which will lead to NAO’s first EI audit scheduled for 2024.
The workshop also included an overview of the formation and functions of EI working groups
across the region which is at its piloting stage by AFROSAI-E to identify best practices in
forming and sustaining such working groups. NAO is among the SAIs being piloted.
The activity is funded through the African Development Bank Project (AfDB) which is supporting
the NAO through AFROSAI-E to build its capacity on EI and EI-related audits.