Gambia Urges Institutions to Comply With Financial Reporting Requirements

The Auditor General of The Gambia, Cherno Amadou Sowe, has renewed his call for public institutions to submit their financial statements to the National Audit Office (NAO) for auditing.

In a press statement issued on Sunday Sowe reminded public entities that financial statements must be prepared and submitted by 31 March 2026, in accordance with the Public Finance Act 2014 and other relevant statutes.

The reminder is directed at governing boards and management of public institutions, as well as state-owned enterprises, projects and agencies whose audits are outsourced to private audit firms.

“Strengthening The Gambia’s public financial management system through effective public sector auditing remains a shared responsibility among all stakeholders,” Sowe said.

He  urged institutions to ensure that submitted financial statements are credible and accurately prepared in line with their adopted financial reporting frameworks.

The Auditor General noted that the submission of substandard financial statements remains a persistent challenge and continues to delay the timely commencement of planned audits.

Sowe acknowledged that some progress has been made in improving the timely submission of financial statements, which has helped reduce audit backlogs.

However, he lamented that a significant number of entities still submit their financial statements after the deadline, present incomplete or substandard reports, or fail to submit them altogether.