Nampa earns first clean audit in 10 years

The Namibia Press Agency (Nampa) has received an unqualified audit opinion for the 2023/24 financial year, marking its first clean audit in a decade.

This achievement signifies a major milestone in the agency’s governance and financial management, Nampa board chairperson Ndeuhala Katonyala-Lewis said yesterday.

She said the clean audit from the auditor general reflects the board’s commitment to performance, transparency and accountability.

“For our board, we take performance very seriously as one of the key indicators in our performance agreement with the shareholder, which is the government.

“This is the first time Nampa has received an unqualified audit report since 2015. This is a sign that the agency is prudently directed and managed in line with good corporate governance,” Katonyala-Lewis said.

She said the national news agency, which falls under the Ministry of Information and Communication Technology, has made significant financial progress under the current board.

“This board found the agency in a net deficit, but today we are recording a surplus. That’s a commendable performance,” she said, adding that the achievement was the result of teamwork between the board, management and staff.

Katonyala-Lewis said the clean audit demonstrates that Nampa has effective internal control systems.

“It means there are processes and procedures in place to ensure the system is capable of producing reliable, accurate and complete information to satisfy the auditor general to issue an unqualified audit opinion,” she said.

The board chairperson further emphasised that the board, through its audit committee, ensured strict oversight of financial management and compliance with governance principles.

Looking ahead, she said Nampa aims to continue strengthening its governance and maintain timely audit submissions.

“Our goal is to have our audited annual financial report within six months after year-end, but the challenge, which is beyond our control, is sometimes the unavailability of auditors to schedule an audit timetable timeously when the financial statements are ready for audit,” she said.

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