Audit Office steps up efforts to strengthen capacity for oil & gas oversight

– as previous funding bid rejected

The Audit Office of Guyana has stepped up its effort to strengthen its capacity to scrutinise the burgeoning oil and gas sector, with Auditor General (AG) Deodat Sharma disclosing that previous efforts to secure funding for related initiatives have failed to materialise. Sharma made these remarks on Friday after he handed over the 2025 AG Report to the Speaker of the National Assembly, Manzoor Nadir, in the Parliament Chambers. The AG’s office is responsible for conducting annual audits of public accounts, financial transactions or operations and financial statements. Last year, Sharma indicated that he was working on establishing an oil and gas section within the Audit Office to monitor the local oil and gas industry. However, the AG told reporters on Friday that these efforts were thwarted by the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) in the previous parliament.

“I did send to the [last] PAC, which is responsible for our budget, and it was rejected. But as soon as the new PAC comes, I’ll send [the proposal] back to strengthen the Audit Office… So, we will be building our capacity in terms of the oil and gas sector, and it will go to the Public Accounts Committee for approval shortly, as soon as they are reconstituted,” he noted.