The National Fire Authority (NFA) faced significant challenges related to asset verification, failing to confirm over $16 million in fixed assets in 2019 due to inadequate record-keeping and a lack of physical checks. During a session with the Public Accounts Committee, NFA CEO Puamau Sowane reported ongoing audit issues that stretched from 2016 to 2018, with unqualified audit opinions starting only in 2019.
Sowane explained that the discrepancies arose because the Auditor General’s office was not invited to oversee the stock take. “The modified opinion of the auditor stated that due to the time lapse from the financial year to the audit’s start, he couldn’t conduct physical tests to confirm the existence of property, plant, and equipment,” he stated. To address these audit issues, the NFA has improved its record-keeping by enhancing document storage and indexing.
NFA’s Manager of Finance, Sen Jeet, indicated that the challenges were partly due to inexperienced staff in earlier years, noting that starting from 2019, improvements were implemented by including the Auditor General’s office in annual stock takes, leading to a clean audit report for 2019 without major issues.
With audit reports for 2020, 2021 submitted and the one for 2022 expected soon, the NFA appears to be on a path toward enhanced financial transparency and accountability. Previous articles have emphasized a broader commitment across various government entities in Fiji to strengthen financial governance, reflecting a trend of reform aimed at better management and accountability in public institutions.
The NFA’s ongoing efforts to improve transparency and collaboration with oversight bodies suggest a positive trajectory. As they work to reinforce their internal controls, there is hope that these improvements will bolster public trust and serve as a model for other organizations facing similar challenges.
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