The Office of the Auditor General and the Zambia Institute of Chartered Accountants want closer ties on professional training and on the move to international public sector accounting standards. The question for the 2027 Budget year is how quickly that shows up in government’s books.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
- A ZICA delegation led by its President, Mr Joseph Matimba, paid a courtesy call on Acting Auditor General Ms Patricia Malaila on 2 November 2026.
- The two institutions agreed to work more closely on professionalism, accountability and public financial management.
- Talks covered Continuous Professional Development (CPD) programmes tailored to public sector auditors, and support for implementing International Public Sector Accounting Standards (IPSAS).
- IPSAS, especially on the accrual basis, would require government to record what it owes and owns, not only the cash it pays and receives. That matters in a year when the Auditor General’s 2025 report flagged K3.56 billion in health sector arrears.
- No formal agreement or timetable was announced, so the test is whether a memorandum, a training calendar or IPSAS milestones follow.
The Office of the Auditor General (OAG) and the Zambia Institute of Chartered Accountants (ZICA) have agreed to deepen their working relationship, with professional training for auditors and the adoption of International Public Sector Accounting Standards (IPSAS) at the top of the list.
The commitment came during a courtesy call on Acting Auditor General Ms Patricia Malaila by a ZICA delegation led by the Institute’s President, Mr Joseph Matimba, on Monday. According to the OAG, the two sides reaffirmed the importance of closer institutional ties in advancing professionalism, accountability and sound public financial management.
What the two institutions discussed
Discussions centred on two areas. The first was Continuous Professional Development (CPD) programmes designed for the public sector, so that auditors keep their technical skills current as audit methods and reporting standards change. The second was support for implementing IPSAS, the accounting standards that govern how governments prepare their financial statements.
Neither institution announced a signed agreement, budget or timetable at the meeting. The OAG described the engagement as a reaffirmation of shared priorities.
Who are the OAG and ZICA?
| Office of the Auditor General | Zambia Institute of Chartered Accountants | |
|---|---|---|
| Legal basis | Constitution of Zambia (Amendment) Act No. 2 of 2016, Article 250; Public Audit Act of 1980; Public Finance Management Act No. 1 of 2018 | Accountants Act No. 13 of 2008 (Institute first established in 1982) |
| Role | Audits the accounts of State organs, ministries, provinces, local authorities and statutory bodies, and reports to the President and the National Assembly | Regulates the accountancy profession, registers and licenses accountants and firms, sets professional standards and runs CPD |
| Who leads it | Ms Patricia Malaila, Acting Auditor General | Mr Joseph Matimba, President |
| International links | Member of INTOSAI and of AFROSAI-E, the English-speaking African audit body network | Member of the International Federation of Accountants (IFAC) since 1984 and of Chartered Accountants Worldwide |
| Recent work | Released the 2025 Auditor General’s report in October; opened talks on its 2027 to 2031 Strategic Plan on 29 October | Requires members to complete annual CPD to keep their practising status |
Sources: Constitution of Zambia (Amendment) Act No. 2 of 2016; OAG mandate statement; Accountants Act No. 13 of 2008; IFAC member profile; Zambian Economist reporting.
The two bodies meet at a natural point. Most of the OAG’s professional audit staff are accountants, and many are ZICA members who must meet the Institute’s CPD requirements to keep their status. ZICA, for its part, depends on public sector reporting standards being applied consistently if its members in ministries and agencies are to produce accounts the Auditor General can rely on.
What is IPSAS, and why does it matter to Zambia?
IPSAS are issued by the International Public Sector Accounting Standards Board, an independent board supported by IFAC. There are two broad versions. Cash-basis IPSAS records money when it is paid or received. Accrual-basis IPSAS records transactions when they happen, so the accounts show bills that have not yet been paid, pension promises, and the value of roads, buildings and equipment that government owns.
The difference is not academic. Zambia’s own budget documents show how large unpaid obligations have become. The Treasury has set aside about K15.0 billion in the 2027 Budget to clear arrears, the single largest named item in the discretionary budget. The Auditor General’s 2025 report, released in October, identified K3.56 billion in arrears in the health sector alone. Under cash accounting such obligations can sit outside the headline numbers until they are paid. Accrual IPSAS would put them on the face of the financial statements.
Moving to accrual accounting takes years. Governments must value their assets, build systems that capture commitments as they arise, and train accountants and auditors to prepare and test the new statements. That is the gap a ZICA partnership could help close.
What this means for businesses and citizens
For suppliers to government, better accrual reporting would make the stock of unpaid bills visible and harder to defer quietly, which could improve the predictability of payments. For lenders and investors, including those assessing Zambia under its new IMF programme, accounts prepared to an international standard and audited by a well-trained office give more reliable information on the true fiscal position. For citizens, it means audit reports that show not only where money went, but what government still owes.
The meeting adds to a run of capacity work on public sector audit. In October, government announced that 350 public internal auditors will be trained and certified through NIPA, while the OAG opened consultations on its 2027 to 2031 Strategic Plan.
What to watch
- Whether the OAG and ZICA sign a memorandum of understanding with specific CPD courses and dates.
- Whether the 2027 Budget, due on Friday 6 November, includes funding or milestones for IPSAS implementation.
- Whether IPSAS and CPD feature as targets in the OAG’s 2027 to 2031 Strategic Plan.
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