BY YUSUFU ABU SESAY
Following the publication of the 2024 Auditor-General’s Report, renewed calls have been made for Parliament and the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) to launch a comprehensive investigation into the Sierra Leone National Shipping Agency (SLNSA) over serious allegations of poor asset management and administrative failures.

The report reveals systemic weaknesses in fixed asset management, including poor control mechanisms, an incomplete assets register, an ineffective Internal Audit Unit, and the failure to submit key supporting documents for both rented and owned properties. These shortcomings raise serious concerns about accountability and transparency within the agency.

Auditors noted that SLNSA failed to provide evidence of any physical verification of its assets during the period under review, making it impossible to confirm their existence, condition, or continued use. The Internal Audit Unit was also described as ineffective in detecting or preventing financial and operational risks.

Further concerns were raised over properties occupied by SLNSA at 45 Cline Street and 4A Scan Drive, Spur Road, for which no legal ownership documents or valuation records were provided.

Both properties have not been revalued for over 15 years, contrary to public sector accounting standards.
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