Latest update March 13th, 2026 12:35 AM
Guyana moves to bolster oil & gas audits
…as concerns grow over oversight, management
(Kaieteur News) – Facing mounting criticism over weak oversight and management of its booming oil and gas sector, Guyana is moving to strengthen auditing capacity with the planned creation of a specialised petroleum unit within the Audit Office.
Minister of Parliamentary Affairs and Governance Gail Teixeira disclosed this on Monday during day one of the consideration of estimates and expenditure by the Committee of Supply for the 2026 Budget.
The minister stated that in order for the positions for the oil and gas unit to be filled, it would first require approval from the Public Accounts Committee (PAC). She further explained that the audit office would have to bring to PAC the proposals of the positions, the job description and the salaries scale for the PAC to give its no-objection before it is brought to the National Assembly for approval.
Minister of Parliamentary Affairs and Governance Gail Teixeira (far right), Auditor General Deodat Sharma and others
“When the PAC is created and we get the information from the auditor general office. It’s a unit that we all think should be created and put in the auditor general office with the requisite skills, to do that kind of audit and work,” the minister remarked.
Auditor General Deodat Sharma had previously disclosed that his office participated in a workshop on auditing the extractive industries – oil and gas for Members of Parliament and Officers of the Audit Office.
Moreover, in response to questions from Opposition MP Tabitha Sarabo-Halley, Teixeira said the Audit Office have a staffing gap of 10 vacancies under its traditional structure for: two audit directors, one audit manager, one auditor, one audit clerk, one confidential secretary, one human resource officer, one programmer, one supervisor of computer operations and one engineer.
She explained, “Based on promotions and a number of factors these are now vacancies. So they have moved some people up and these are now vacancies in the positions in which they held.”
Opposition MP Ganesh Mahipaul raised concerns about whether the Audit Office is going to expand the audit coverage of ministries and agencies beyond the usual 10 to 15 percent given the increasing sums being allocated in this year’s budget. To this, Minister Teixeira noted that the scope of audits has already been widened. “The AG had increased the number of audits they were doing including areas that were outstanding for a long time like the NDIA (National Drainage and Irrigation Authority), municipalities and a number of statutory bodies,” she said.
It was also noted that there has already been progress made in clearing long-outstanding reports. Minister Teixeira disclosed that the Audit Office is projected to submit three value-for-money audit reports to Parliament in 2026, covering information and communication programmes by the National Data Management Authority (NDMA), the Fire Service’s preparedness to respond to wildfires, and a follow-up on drugs and medical supplies.
Discover more from Kaieteur News
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
Similar Articles
THE BLUNT OF THE DAY
Sports
Features/Columnists
Sir. Ronald Sanders
The GHK Lall Column
Weekend Cartoon
