Effective Supreme Auditing Institutions, Sound Public Finance Management and National Development: Lessons for Zimbabwe’s Office of Auditor General

Abstract

Numerous reports on systemic public corruption, fraud, illicit financial outflows, and corporate mis-governance in Zimbabwe’s public sector have brought the effectiveness of the country’s supreme audit institution under intensive public foci. There are now urgent calls for the country’s supreme audit institution to go beyond the traditional compliance-oriented cynosure by addressing challenges in the public sector that are encumbering national development. The aim of the paper is to interrogate with the aid of structural equation modelling the relationship among an effective supreme auditing institution, national development, and sound public finance management. Data was collected using a structured questionnaire administered on a multi-stage cluster sample of 210 public officials in Zimbabwe’s public sector. We found the relationship among three statistically significant at 99% level of confidence implying that increasing audit effectiveness has both feedback and feedforward effects on sound public finance management and, national development. Strategies that enhance auditor independence, public sector financial accountability and public trust have been recommended for a robust public finance management and sustainable national development.