The Auditor General, Alexis Kamuhire, has said technology adoption can help auditors quickly identify and resolve issues, making their work more efficient. Kamuhire said this on September 11 in Rubavu District, where over 120 internal auditors from the public and private sectors gathered for a three-day retreat themed ‘Navigating the Future: Innovation and Internal Audit’. He emphasised that technology is necessary in simplifying audit processes, reducing time spent on them, and minimising unlawful expenditure. Firstly, technology is essential in audit processes; it is vital for audit professionals to make their job easy and quicker, stated Kamuhire. “We expect a significant change with more professionals embracing the use of technology in their work.” Kamuhire expressed optimism that the exchanges about innovation and technology among internal auditors will lead to improved results and greater productivity, and benefit the citizens, leading to less unlawful expenditure. According to him, unlawful expenditure decreased to Rwf2.5 billion in 2022-2023 from Rwf6.45 billion in the previous year. ALSO READ: Unlawful expenditures drop as more public entities get clean audits Internal auditors expressed a concern about a lack of adequate knowledge in utilising automated technologies in auditing public accounts. Vincentie Mukandanga, an internal auditor at the Ministry of Finance and Economic Planning, highlighted the importance of auditors acquiring more knowledge on automated audit systems, and software to improve their roles and produce accurate reports. With everything is being automated today, as auditors, we should understand this new technology and adopt it in our daily work as part of innovation to bridge existing gaps related to our work. Otherwise, it's a challenge to fulfill our duties effectively, Mukandanga stated. She noted that auditors needed capacity building on the use of automated systems used in audit systems. Fred Twagirayezu, the president of the Board of the Institute of Internal Auditors Rwanda, stressed the importance of sharing experiences and increasing technology literacy among auditors to address wasteful expenditure and enhance productivity in their work. He emphasised the need for auditors to adapt to new changes and embrace technology to stay relevant in a rapidly evolving digital world. “The annual meeting helps us understand new changes and standards about audit professionals in light of the rapid and digital world,” Twagirayezu said. As the world changes with rapid technology, so should auditors in order to adopt the new changes. We see new technology and innovation every day, which is why we encourage auditors to embrace technology use.”
