Enact local content law, says Buy Zambia Campaign
… Internal auditors connived with MoH officials to hide rot
THE Buy Zambia Campaign has called for a speedy enactment of the local content bill to help build capacity for local business and enhance viability for local markets.
In September 2018, Government announced intentions for Zambia to join other frontier African countries by enacting the local content laws aimed at promoting the use of at least 35 percent locally available inputs in industrial processes.
Speaking during the Budget presentation on September 28, 2018, then Finance Minister Margaret
Mwanakatwe stated that “to promote local content, Government was implementing the National Local Content Strategy aimed at fostering business linkages between micro, small, medium and large enterprises”.
And Buy Zambia Campaign Events Manager James Banda said the bill must be given priority to empower local companies whose products and services are similar to those offered by foreign companies.
Mr Banda has noted that local companies offering products sold by some foreign companies are at a disadvantage because of having to import raw materials.
INFORMATION has emerged that there was connivance between internal auditors and some Ministry of Health top officials to hide the rot that was taking place regarding the utilisation of Covid-19 resources.
The internal auditors submitted a report to the
Auditor General’s office that management of the Covid-19 resources was prudent when in fact not.
This came to light when Secretary to the Treasury, Fredson Yamba, and other Ministry of Finance officials appeared virtually before the Public Accounts Committee yesterday.
Auditor General, Dick Sichembe, told the committee that the report on the Covid-19 resources from internal auditors at the Ministry of Health was not realistic, prompting his office to institute an audit from the scratch.
Dr Sichembe said contrary to what was discovered by his officers, the report indicated that Covid-19 resources were being managed pragmatically.
This was after the Controller of Internal Audit, Chibwe
Mulonda, had a tough time explaining why the misuse of Covid-19 funds was not exposed early.
Mr Mulonda told the committee that once auditors were attached to a particular ministry, they become the “baby” of the controller officer at those offices to whom they report.
He said audit officers only submit periodic reports to his office or report when they were being impeded to carry out their duties effectively.
“My office only moves in when the controlling officer and our officers are not working well then we reconcile the situation,” he said.
And Mr Yamba said a disciplinary hearing would soon be convened on the matters at Ministry of Health.
He said audit officers must have connived with top officials to hide the rot that was going on at the Ministry of Health.
He said there were a lot of financial irregularities that officers at the Ministry of Finance, including the director of finance were supposed to answer to.
Mr Yamba said the Controller of Internal Audit would interrogate the over K2 billion Covid-19 debt accumulated by the Ministry of Health to ascertain that it was genuine before coming up with a repay
“We have to ascertain that there is no overpricing. The treasury will work with other investigative wings to verify the k2.4 billion debt at the ministry,” he said.
Meanwhile, PAC chairperson, Howard Kunda, and other committee members expressed disappointment with internal audit systems in Government.
Mr Kunda wondered why the rot that was taking place at the Ministry of Health with regards to Covid-19 resources was not captured early.