Tuesday August 11, 2026
Mogadishu (AX) — Somalia’s federal government faces significant gaps in oversight after audits exposed failures in governance, legal compliance, internal controls and the management of public assets, Auditor General Ahmed Isse Guutaale said Monday.
Speaking in Mogadishu, Guutaale said the Ministry of Foreign Affairs had deployed 14 diplomats who had not fully satisfied the required conditions. The ministry also assigned 19 employees to diplomatic missions without first completing mandatory diplomatic training.
The reviews further showed that 50% of the government agencies examined had not fully established or used internal audit systems, a major weakness that Guutaale said required corrective measures.
Additional problems were identified in the registration and oversight of government vehicles, arbitration agreements, the documentation of assets received through foreign donations, and the administration of mosques and endowments. Auditors also raised concerns about medicine inspections and the storage of criminal records.
“The Office of the Auditor General conducts both financial and performance audits of federal government institutions, state-owned or jointly owned companies and entities operating under special agreements with the government,” Guutaale said.
During 2025, the office carried out financial audits of 30 projects supported by international development partners.
The World Bank financed 22 of the projects, while seven received funding from the African Development Bank and one from the International Fund for Agricultural Development.
The audits assessed financial management, procurement and contracting practices, compliance with Somali law and financing agreements, management systems and the progress of project implementation.
Guutaale said the reports had been submitted to the institutions concerned, with the aim of improving accountability and transparency in the use of public resources and safeguarding assets assigned to development projects.
The findings called on government agencies and project implementation units to upgrade their financial and management systems, reinforce procurement and contracting procedures, speed up approved activities and improve the registration and oversight of public assets.
The Auditor General said recommendations had been delivered to the relevant institutions to remedy the weaknesses identified and bolster internal controls and financial accountability.
“The purpose of these audits is to assess whether government resources have been used in accordance with the principles of economy, efficiency and effectiveness,” Guutaale said.
In recent years, the Office of the Auditor General has broadened its reviews to include more government agencies and projects financed by Somalia and international partners, placing increased emphasis on accountability, transparency and the stewardship of public assets.
