THE Mines and Mining Development ministry failed to submit records over its operations to the Auditor-General (AG)’s Office for the 2021 period.
“Mines and Mining Development ministry did not submit for audit the annual performance reports for the year ended December 31, 2021. I was, therefore, unable to assess the ministry’s achievement of the targets set in the strategic plan and its contribution to the National Development Strategy 1 (NDS1),” AG Mildred Chiri said, in the recently released 2021 OAG appropriation accounts report.
The failure to submit itself for audit over its 2021 operations is despite Treasury allocating nearly $1,4 billion towards the ministry for last year’s budget.
The ministry is tasked with creating a US$12 billion industry, driven by increased mineral exports, by the end of 2023.
“I was also not availed with minutes of meetings held during the period by management on programmes being implemented. In the absence of periodic progress and annual reports it would be difficult to monitor and evaluate the ministry’s planned goals and objectives set in the strategic plan,” Chiri said.
“If deliberations in the management meetings are not documented, planned actions and follow-ups cannot be done effectively without minutes of management meetings.”
completeness of these amounts in the absence of supporting documents.”She said the biggest risk was expenditure figures could be misstated.In response, the ministry said the Mines and Mining Development Fund budgets for the year 2019 and 2020 were in the PFMS.“The expenditure was being done through the system and as such, the general ledgers are in the system. The ledgers can be viewed under the cost centre for the Mines and Mining Development Fund,” the ministry said.Chiri said the ministry should report on progress made on planned targets. – NewsDay
