The Accounts Chamber of the Russian Federation continues professional dialogue with supreme audit institutions of African countries.

On August 21, 2025, within the framework of a multilateral online seminar, the partners exchanged accumulated knowledge and experience in public procurement audit.

Interest in the topic of the meeting proved to be high again – about 150 representatives of SAIs from 13 countries across the African continent participated in the event,

noted Mr. Timur Makhmutov, Director of the Department for International and Regional Cooperation of the Accounts Chamber of the Russian Federation, moderator of the meeting.

Mr. Aleksei Galkin, Head of Inspectorate of the Department of Procurement and Energy Sector Audit, shared the legal and methodological framework, as well as the latest achievements of the Accounts Chamber of the Russian Federation regarding procurement audit development. He provided a detailed overview of the key development directions outlined in the Accounts Chamber of the Russian Federation Strategy for 2025–2030 and discussed the achieved results. Notably, he highlighted the establishment of the autonomous non-profit organization “Digital Audit” («Цифровой аудит») by the Accounts Chamber in 2024. This organization was founded with the aim of developing innovative technological solutions in the field of Big Data and AI for the inspectorate.

Mr. Yuri Podshivalov, Deputy Chairman of the Control and Accounts Chamber of the Chelyabinsk Region, also presented the Russian experience. The speaker addressed procurement audit methodology and practical implementation of digital audit tools such as the UIS Procurement, the state financial management system “Electronic Budget”, and the “SPARK-Interfax” system. He also provided detailed insights into the audits conducted in the region and their results.

Dr. Jackson Cachinãvissa Aurélio, Head of Division of the Court of Auditors of the Republic of Angola, Mr. Abdoul Karim Ibrahim Mohamed Simpore, President of the Chamber of the Court of Accounts of Burkina Faso, Mr. Lamene Ouya Job, Counsellor, Head of Section on Programs, Projects and Public Policies of the Court of Accounts of the Republic of Chad, Ms. Noha Mohamed Khalil, Senior Auditor of the Accountability State Authority of the Arab Republic of Egypt, and Mr. Deogratias Kirama, Assistant Auditor General in Quality Assurance of the National Audit Office of the United Republic of Tanzania, presented international best practices at the seminar.

Colleagues from African countries demonstrated a comprehensive approach to the topic discussed at the seminar, thoroughly reviewing the regulatory and legal framework of procurement activities and procurement audit. Speakers covered all aspects of the public procurement procedures, contract execution audit processes, as well as potential risks and identified challenges in public procurement management.

During the discussion, the participants addressed issues related to the government contract pricing, the supplier selection and evaluation in a competitive environment, the interaction of SAIs with other government agencies within the framework of procurement control activities, as well as the impact of digitalization of the public procurement system on the organization and conduct of audit inspections.

Following the experience-sharing seminar, the participants emphasized the need to continue the dialogue regarding the transformation of procurement audit practices, driven by digitalization trends, as well as the implications of digital modernization.