The Paradigm Leadership Support Initiative (PLSI), in collaboration with the Society of Women Accountants of Nigeria (SWAN) and the International Budget Partnership (IBP) Nigeria, has inaugurated the Women in Public Sector Audit in Nigeria (WiPSA) Leadership Dialogue to promote women’s leadership in public sector auditing and strengthen accountability through gender-responsive auditing.
The inaugural dialogue, held in Abuja and themed: “Initiating Public Audit Impact on Gender Equity and Social Inclusion in Nigeria,” brought together federal and state Auditors-General, policymakers, development partners, professional bodies, civil society organisations, governance experts, academics and members of the media.
Speaking during the event, executive director of the Policy Innovation Centre (PIC), Dr. Osasuyi Dirisu, said inclusive governance requires accountability systems that assess not only financial compliance but also the impact of government spending on different segments of society.
He stressed that public auditing should increasingly evaluate whether public investments are improving the lives of citizens across diverse social groups.
In his special address, Dr. Chira described the launch of the Gender-Responsive Auditing Framework as a timely initiative that complements ongoing reforms aimed at strengthening Nigeria’s public audit system.
He said the framework would provide practical guidance for audit institutions seeking to incorporate gender perspectives into their work without compromising professional standards.
PLSI executive director, Olusegun Elemo said the success of the framework would depend on strong leadership, political commitment and collaboration among stakeholders.
He explained that gender-responsive auditing is not a separate category of audit but an analytical approach that strengthens financial, compliance and performance audits by integrating gender and social inclusion considerations throughout the audit process.
Elemo added that the WiPSA Leadership Dialogue marks the beginning of a long-term effort to increase women’s representation in public audit institutions while building technical capacity for gender-responsive auditing across Nigeria.
A major highlight of the event was the unveiling of the Gender-Responsive Auditing Framework (GRAF) by the Auditor-General for the Federation, Dr. Shaakaa Chira.
The framework, developed by PLSI with technical support from the Office of the Auditor-General for the Federation and IBP Nigeria, is designed to guide subnational audit institutions in integrating gender considerations into audit processes while upholding the principles of independence, objectivity and evidence-based reporting.
The dialogue was convened following findings from PLSI’s 2025 Subnational Audit Efficacy (SAE) Index, which revealed significant gender gaps in Nigeria’s public audit institutions.
According to the report, only three states have female State Auditors-General, while just five states have female Auditors-General for Local Governments. It also found that no state conducted a Gender-Responsive Audit during the 2024 financial year.
