Pretoria - In a first for Africa, the office of the Auditor-General of South Africa (AGSA) received global recognition for its contribution to the International Organisation of Supreme Audit Institutions (INTOSAI) by being presented with the prestigious Jorg Kandutsch Award.
The Supreme Audit Institution (SAI) of South Africa, represented by the Auditor-General Terence Nombembe, was presented with the award at the opening ceremony on the XX INCOSAI 2010 congress on Tuesday.
It was the first time a SAI from Africa received the award. The award is granted to the SAI that makes outstanding accomplishments and contributions to INTOSAI in the three years preceding the congress.
Receiving the award, Nombembe said the recognition gave the AGSA a great sense of achievement.
"It is one thing for one's work to be thanked or acknowledged by those in your country of origin, but it is an extreme honour when such acknowledgement originates from a global context of peers within the industry," he said.
The award was also a welcomed recognition of AGSA's efforts to make a positive change in the lives of South Africans, Nombembe noted.
"Accountability is an indispensible part of a democracy, and it is our promise to our people to help strengthen democracy by being part of the many INTOSAI and AFROSAI activities contributing towards sharing knowledge and experiences globally," he added.
Dr Josef Moser, general secretariat for INTOSAI and president of the Austrian Court of Audit, said the South African SAI played an active role in the governing board, and in the major committees and working groups of INTOSAI.
"It has also engaged in strategic matters such as the development of the International Standards of Supreme Audit Institutions (ISSAIs) and indeed within the INTOSAI Strategic Plan for 2005-2010," he said.
South Africa assumed the presidency and three-year chairmanship of INTOSAI on Monday.
