From The Office of the Auditor General

The Office of the Auditor General Cayman Islands (OAG), continues to set the standard in the public audit sector and deliver on its mission to advance the effectiveness of its service provision to the Cayman Islands.

In its current Strategic Plan (2015-2019) the OAG cited as a goal support for the development of public audit across the Caribbean region. This objective arose out of the OAG being seen, by international donor agencies, as a leader in public sector auditing, as well as employees’ desire to assist in developing the capacity of regional public audit offices.

To help fulfill this objective two OAG staff members, Mr. Patrick Smith and Mr. Winston Sobers, recently visited St. Vincent and The Grenadines to commence a twinning arrangement, with the objective of strengthening the capacity of the Audit Office in that country.

The twinning arrangement, which is fully funded by the World Bank, consists of two visits by OAG staff to the St. Vincent office, with the key areas of focus being to:
· provide training in conducting financial audits of statutory bodies and capital projects
· assist the Audit Office of St Vincent and the Grenadines in developing a strategic business plan
· assist the Audit Office of St Vincent and the Grenadines in the preparation of a learning development policy/plan for strengthening the capacity of the financial auditors

During this first phase of the twinning arrangement, approximately 23 staff of the St. Vincent office received basic training in risk based auditing. Nine members of a core group identified to specialise in conducting audits of statutory bodies received additional training through practical workshops to an intermediate level.

In addition to receiving audit training, the visitors also helped the management team of the St. Vincent office to revamp their vision statement, mission statement, and the key objectives of its strategic business plan.

The second phase of the arrangement has been tentatively set for August 2017, until then the OAG will remain in contact with the St. Vincent office, and provide support and guidance as needed.

For more information regarding this twinning arrangement please contact Sue Winspear (345) 244 3201 or Patrick Smith (345) 244-3204 at the Office of the Auditor General.