Swazi Observer

FULL STORY

AG MATSEBULA ELECTED AU BOEA CHAIRPERSON

By SIFISO DLAMINI | 2025-01-24

Auditor General, Timothy Matsebula has been elected Chairperson of the African Union Board of External Auditors (AU BoEA).

Matsebula will hold the position from 2025 to 2026. The AU BoEA is an authority for heads of Supreme Audit Institutions (SAIs), formed by the African Union (AU) Member States and responsible for the auditing of the AU.

Matsebula was unanimously elected into the position on Wednesday.
In a historic occurrence since the Supreme Audit Institutions (SAI) was established, Matsebula is the first non-permanent member of the board to be elected the chairperson since 2015.

Matsebula, who heads the Supreme Audit Institution of Eswatini, takes over the reins from the president of the Accountability State Authority of Egypt.

The elections took place during the BoEA meeting held at the African Court for Human and People's Rights, located in Arusha, Tanzania.

SAI Eswatini represents the Southern African region in the AU BoEA and was elected into the board for the second consecutive term, which runs from 2024 to 2026.

Upon accepting the unopposed election, Matsebula stressed the importance of collaboration and professional partnerships in ensuring that the SAIs delivered on their mandate of ensuring accountability and transparency.

“I am a firm believer that engagement, collaboration and transparency are critical to our success. So, I really look forward to the continuous and meaningful engagement with every member of this board over the next two years in office.

“I invite each of you to engage actively in our discussions, share your insights, and contribute to the development of our strategies,” said Matsebula

He urged all members to forge a path that reflected their shared vision and values, one that prioritised excellence and cooperation. “Your voices will be invaluable in shaping the direction we take and the impact we make,” he added.

He acknowledged that the chairmanship was a prestigious position of international repute in the audit fraternity. The BoEA works with the Audit Operations Committee (AOC), now chaired by the Deputy Auditor General Timothy Masuku after he was appointed by Matsebula.

During the meeting, AU BoEA members expressed confidence in the leadership of SAI Eswatini, affirming their confidence in that the election did not go to vote, but Eswatini was given the chair unopposed. SAIs that were represented physically were South Africa, Angola, Equatorial Guinea, Libya, Mauritius, Morocco and Egypt.

Permanent members of the board are South Africa, Nigeria, Egypt, Algeria, Libya and Morocco. With Eswatini as non-permanent members are Equatorial Guinea, Mauritius and Côte d’Ivoire representing various regions of the AU membership. The BoEA is the Apex body for the audit of financial statements of the African Union and its various organs.

The BoEA derives its mandate from Rule 97 of the African Union Financial Rules (FRs), whereby the Board of External Auditors is required to audit the accounts of the African Union (African Union Commission (AUC) and AU organs), and submit the reports to the executive council through the Sub Committee of the PRC on Audit matters in accordance with Rule 98 (7) of the FR.

share story