By: Emmanuel wise Jipoh
Liberia’s General Auditing Commission (GAC) has launched a platform to track the misapplication and misappropriation of public funds by top officials. The move is aimed at fighting corruption through an open initiative.
Liberia’s Auditor General Mr. P. Garswa Jackson, Sr., said the platform named ‘The Citizens-Eye’ is a mobile technology application that will allow citizens to rate public service delivery.
it will also enable citizens to directly report the issues of corruption and corrupt public officials to the General Auditing Commission.
He told reporters at the start of a week-long regional workshop that the mobile app will enable citizens to help the Commission to track how public funds are effectively and efficiently used.
The workshop is being held under the auspices of the regional grouping African Organizations of Supreme Audit Institutions (AFROSAI-E) from Monday, February 21 to Friday, February 24, 2023, at a local hotel in Sinkor,
According to Mr. Jackson, the Citizens-Eye is expected to help individuals to report corrupt public officials.
He said the mobile application will also allow the Audit Commission to monitor the activities of public officials on how they deliver services to the general public, and Liberia at large.
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Mr. Jackson explained that the App is an easy-to-use digital platform that will increase transparency and accountability in the public sector.
He said the mobile application can be run on smartphones and other computer devices.
“It provides citizens and residents of a country a platform to actively participate in transparency and accountability initiatives,” he said
The Auditor General further revealed that this platform will enable citizens and residents of Liberia to have information relating to system deficiency and non-compliance with relevant laws and regulations.
He said it will provide an avenue to safely and anonymously provide vital information to respective national audit offices without fear of being victimized.
At the same time, Mr. Jackson appreciated the participants and lauded the partners for allowing SAI-Liberia to host the important international event.
He indicated that the organizing of the regional workshop comes against the backdrop of activities from the results of the needs assessment and situational analysis performed in Botswana, Kenya, and Liberia.
He said the assessment focused on how to address gaps resulting from the assessments and the formulation of a road map for the seamless roll-out of the Citizen-EYE Mobile Application in the participating countries.
Liberia under the General Auditing Commission is currently convening a regional workshop in Monrovia under the auspices of AFROSAI-E.
The workshop is funded by the German International Cooperation (GIZ), bringing together Supreme Audit Institutions from Uganda, Kenya, Ghana, and host Liberia. The workshop is held under the theme: “Technology-Driven Citizen Engagement.”
