Supreme Audit Institutions (SAIs) have assumed a significant and critical role in better public financial management and financial accountability in their respective jurisdictions and SAI Montserrat is no exception.  To promote good governance through transparency and accountability, communication is a fundamental element.  SAIs have increasingly recognized the importance of demonstrating relevance to stakeholders by being responsive to changing environments and emerging risk, communicating effectively with stakeholders, and being a credible source of independent and objective insight and guidance to support beneficial change in government and public entities.  Realizing the need for improved communication with all stakeholders, we have embarked on developing a stakeholder engagement strategy.

The NAO is shaped by various legislative and policy arrangements which regulates its management, resource use and accountability and specify its functions.  We have established our Principles of Stakeholder Engagement to guide and shape our approach when undertaking listed activities.  In seeking to understand the needs of the stakeholders, focus group sessions and questionnaires was used to gather information.  The general expectations of stakeholders were highlighted as the need to understand the mandate of the NAO and the need to create greater awareness and inform citizens on what is happening with public money.

Our communication process was reviewed and this led to an increased focus on improving our outreach to all stakeholders.  In fulfilling our role within the accountability system it was therefore important for us to ensure that our work is relevant, adds value and has greater audit impact, not only by reviewing and reporting on what has happened, but also by looking forward, identifying where improvements can be made, and promoting good practice.  In this way, the NAO contributes to improved standards of governance, better management and decision making, and more effective use of public money.