Public audit reports are among the most powerful tools for promoting transparency and accountability in the management of public resources. However, in Malawi, the Auditor General’s reports remain largely technical and lengthy to the ordinary citizen and to many civil society organizations (CSOs) that would otherwise use the findings to strengthen advocacy and public oversight.

The African Institute of Corporate Citizenship (AICC), in partnership with the National Audit Office (NAO), has produced a simplified version of the Auditor General’s Report. This webinar has been organized to disseminate and present the simplified report to CSOs, creating a shared understanding of the audit findings and opening a platform for dialogue between the Supreme Audit Institution and civil society on follow-up action.

Background/ Rationale

The National Audit Office of Malawi and the African Institute of Corporate Citizenship, to strengthen collaboration between Supreme Audit Institutions (SAIs) and CSOs in improving public financial management in Malawi. A recurring finding from the project’s engagements is that audit reports, though comprehensive, are written in technical language that limits their usefulness to non-specialist audiences, including many CSOs working on governance and accountability.

To close this gap, AICC and NAO have jointly developed a simplified version of the Auditor General’s Report that translates key audit findings, financial irregularities and recommendations into accessible language. Presenting this simplified report to CSOs is a critical step towards enabling civil society to use audit information meaningfully – whether for public education, community engagement or advocacy for the implementation of audit recommendations. It also reinforces the broader CADRE objective of formalizing collaboration between NAO and CSOs across the public financial management cycle.