Fiscal Transparency and Accountability in Governance: The Role of Local Government Audit

Abstract

Local governance is all about service delivery at the grass roots. Achieving service delivery at that level requires an effective internal audit to establish integrity in the management of public expenditure. Once integrity is achieved fiscal transparency ushers in fiscal accountability. The objective of this study is to examine the extent to which local government internal audit achieved fiscal transparency and accountability in local governance since its inception.

In line with this objective, interview was conducted on key employees operating the internal audit units of local governments and the oversight employees from the ministry and parastatals in Kaduna state. The paired sample t-test was used to analyze data collected and this aided the study to conclude, there is a significant relationship though not very strong, that exist between the internal audit unit and fiscal transparency and accountability in local governance. In order to achieve integrity in public expenditure management there by establishing fiscal transparency and accountability in local governance, there is the need for adherence to the code of transparency by the local councils if really the internal audit is to be effective for all intent and purposes.

Keywords: Fiscal Transparency, Accountability, Local governance