News Room Guyana Reports | In a significant milestone, Guyana has reported a 100% recovery of all overpayments identified in government contracts for the third consecutive year. This accomplishment was highlighted in the 2024 Auditor General’s Report and celebrated by President Dr. Mohamed Irfaan Ali during a recent social media address.
President Ali pointed to this achievement as indicative of the administration’s vigorous efforts to reinforce financial discipline, enhance oversight, and ensure that taxpayers receive full value for public expenditures.
“In 2022, 2023, and now 2024, every cent of overpayment was recovered before the Auditor General’s Report was finalized. This has never happened before in our country’s history,” President Ali stated.
He contrasted this success with performance during the previous administration (APNU+AFC), which reported significantly lower recovery rates: only 7.49% in 2015, 29.7% in 2017, and 12.1% in 2018. “These are not opinions. These are facts from the Auditor General,” he emphasized.
Despite the Audit Office examining 829 contracts valued at nearly $50 billion in 2024, fewer than 3% were flagged for overpayments— a notable improvement.
The President attributed this progress to several key initiatives:
- Extensive training in procurement and contract administration.
- Enhanced oversight systems.
- The adoption of new technologies for real-time monitoring.
“We are moving toward full-scale project accounting using technology, AI, and predictive indicators,” President Ali remarked. “This will allow us to detect issues even during the project cycle.”
The broader findings of the 2024 Auditor General’s Report suggest significant improvements in accountability and transparency since 2020. Highlights include:
- 81% of the 2023 recommendations were either fully or partially implemented.
- A major decrease in procurement breaches.
- Strengthened internal controls and quicker resolution of audit queries.
- Record expansion of audit coverage across public agencies.
The President noted that, unlike the APNU+AFC administration, which faced repeated warnings from the Auditor General for inaction, the current PPP/C government has proactively addressed issues.
From 2015 to 2019:
- Only 27% of recommendations were implemented.
- 41% went unaddressed.
- Many recommendations were repeated annually without action.
In contrast, from 2020 to 2024:
- 42.4% of recommendations were fully implemented.
- 37.4% were partially implemented.
- Only 20% remained unaddressed.
“As a responsible government, we do not wait for the Auditor General to repeat the same recommendation year after year,” President Ali affirmed. “We act.”
The report also indicated progress in audit coverage, with 254 audit opinions issued in 2024—the third-highest since 2015—and comprehensive audits of foreign-funded projects all receiving unqualified opinions.
“This reflects a stronger culture of accountability across the public sector,” the President stated.
While recognizing these advancements, President Ali emphasized the government’s commitment to striving for even higher standards. Accounting officers have already begun implementing the 2024 recommendations, and failure to comply will result in consequences.
New performance indicators will soon be introduced for permanent secretaries and agency heads to ensure ongoing compliance with financial regulations and to strengthen internal management systems.
“We are not satisfied,” the President concluded. “We will continue to enhance transparency, accountability, and good governance in every agency.”
