Performance auditing in the Libyan public sector

• Main Author: Amara, Salem Mohamed Omar
• Published: University of Gloucestershire 2011
• Subjects: 338.6041; HJ Public Finance
• Online Access: http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.536993

Libya is a developing Arab State with a small population and a large geographic area. After the Alfatah revolution in 1969, the Libyan economy changed. Most activities such as agriculture, industry, investment, and other associated services were developed. Accordingly, the number of users of financial information in Libya rose steadily and has continued to grow ever since due to economic growth and flourishing business. This situation has led to an increased need for more reliable information to enable the country's authorities to exercise full accountability concerning the efficient and effective use of the available scarce resources on the part of those entrusted with administering public programmes and activities. In a response to this need, PA was required to be conducted by auditors in 1989. Consequently, PA examinations are carried out by two separate institutions, namely the Institute of Financial Auditing (IFA) and the Institute of Investigation and Public Control (IIPC). Accordingly, a comprehensive description of the nature of PA as practised by the Libyan auditors, assessing the degree to which these practices have been effectively operated and suggesting improvements in these practices, was felt necessary. A mixed-methodological design was utilized in this study. Close-ended questionnaires and semistructured interviews are the data collection techniques. The questionnaires were sent to a sample of performance auditors and public sector managers. The interviews were also conducted with a sample of performance auditors and public sector managers. The findings of this study revealed that the Libyan experience in the field of PA shares, in various instances, a common base with what has been identified in the literature or reported in the practices of other state audit institutions. The research findings, furthermore, showed that PA in the Libyan public sector is "rarely effective" or "ineffective" due to many obstacles that the current system of PA is facing, such as "ambiguity of organizations' objectives", "lack of performance measures", "lack of a sound internal control system", and "shortage of qualified performance auditors and specialized staff from different disciplines to carry out PA investigations". In addition, the findings showed that the PA system in Libya can be improved through the adoption of certain procedures, of which the most important are improving performance auditors' skills and attention being paid to PA by the legislative and administrative officials at higher levels in Libya. Lastly, in the light of these findings recommendations were proposed to overcome the reported deficiencies and to improve PA practices in the Libyan public sector.