Fourteen heads of Supreme Audit Institutions (SAIs) from Africa have accepted an invitation to participate in the second Russia-Africa Summit and Economic and Humanitarian Forum to be held in St. Petersburg on July 26-29, auditor of the control agency Svetlana Orlova told Sputnik.
The Russian Accounts Chamber has reportedly invited the SAIs from all 54 countries of the African continent.
According to Orlova, the summit will forge a great opportunity to expand the state audit dialogue with African countries.
The auditor also assessed the results of the agency's interaction with countries in Africa and the Middle East.
"In today's tough conditions, we have preserved the international agenda of the Accounts Chamber, mainly due to the high credibility of the Accounts Chamber itself in the international audit community. In 2022, the Russian Chamber organized 260 videoconferences on international topics with its foreign partners. The [total] duration of the events was about 1,000 hours. We have much to share with colleagues," Orlova said.
The main topics of the meetings, according to the auditor, included public administration and anti-corruption, audit methodology, government information systems, digitalization of the SAI, the audit of sustainable development goals, green economy and the energy transition, public procurement, science and innovation, as well as the audit of international organizations.
"We try to choose the topics, which, on the one hand, are the most actual for the auditing institutions, and on the other hand, directly concern the areas of joint interest of Russia and foreign countries," she stressed.
The auditor also reminded that the Accounts Chamber of Russia completed the presidency of the International Organization of Supreme Audit Institutions, which brings together 194 audit institutions, last year.
She pointed out that during the three years of the presidency, much has been achieved, including the promotion of the organization's Digital University resource, as well as the preparation of a practical guide to strengthening cooperation between audit institutions and anti-corruption agencies.
The first Russia-Africa summit was held in Russia's Sochi in 2019 and outlined a number of goals and objectives for further cooperation between Moscow and the continent in areas such as politics, security, economy, science, technology, culture, and the humanitarian sphere.