The Institute of Solomon Islands Accountants recently hosted a knowledge-sharing session on the topic of Good Governance, Internal Controls and Fraud.
The event was attended by over 70 people working in organisations in both the public and private sector. ISIA CEO, Pamela Naesol-Alamu, in her opening remarks noted that ISIA hosts these kinds of knowledge- sharing sessions as part of its advocacy strategy to advocate and raise awareness of relevant issues affecting, not only the accounting profession but also the wider business environment and the country as a whole - and good governance and the importance of strong internal controls to minimize and prevent fraud is a highly relevant topic for today.
“As the regulatory body overseeing the accounting profession in Solomon Islands, ISIA promotes, encourages and strongly support good governance and sound ethical practices which can strengthen sound business and economic growth in the country. And accountants have a crucial role to play in the fight against corruption and fraud”, she continued.
The presentation was made by Susan Morrison who is the current Advisor to Internal Auditors in the Solomon Islands Government.
In this session, Susan presented on the importance of having a good governance framework emphasizing on a strong internal control system within organisations, and how this could lead to the prevention and detection of fraud.
She emphasized that “we should encourage good governance and strong internal controls as these are the means to combat fraud and empower community confidence, excellent performance by the public and private sector and investment in the social capital of the Solomon Islands. This can happen if Accountants, Managers and Auditors have the courage to question when things do not look right, and do their part by ensuring that ethical processes are adhered to.”