“When people understand audit, they don’t fear it—they value it.”– Titus Wambua
In organizations across Africa, a quiet transformation is underway. The internal audit function — long misunderstood, often underestimated — is beginning to reveal its true value far beyond spreadsheets, checklists, and compliance reports.
But let’s be honest: to many departments, internal audit still feels distant. Technical. Unrelatable. Maybe even intimidating.
That’s not just a perception gap — it’s a missed opportunity. Because when you understand what internal audit really does, you realize it’s not just about financial audit. It’s about insight. It’s about clarity. It’s about trust.
At AfriAudit, we believe internal audit belongs to everyone. Whether you’re in HR, operations, sales and marketing, research and development, customer service or innovation — internal audit holds value for your work, your team, and your mission.
Inside This Edition:
- What non-auditors get wrong about internal audit
- Myths to unlearn and mindsets to adopt
- Four empowering ways to engage with audit as a collaborator
- An example of an African institution
Rewriting the Narrative: Internal Audit Is Not the Audit Police
Let’s clear the air: internal auditors are not in the business of hunting down mistakes. Their mission isn’t blame — it’s balance. It’s about helping organizations make better decisions through risk awareness, governance foresight, and strategic alignment.
For non-auditors, this means audit is not a department to avoid — it’s a partner to embrace.
In leading institutions across the continent, audit teams are already:
- Supporting IT in safeguarding data and ethical AI
- Helping HR detect signals of toxic culture before it corrodes performance
- Partnering with procurement to ensure vendor integrity
- Guiding project teams to deliver on time, on budget, and within risk thresholds
Insight: The smartest teams aren’t just doing their job — they’re inviting internal audit to make their job more effective.
The Myths Non-Auditors Must Unlearn
Myth 1: “Audit has nothing to do with my function.”
Reality: Every function generates risk — and audit helps you manage it better.
Whether you’re designing a product, running a campaign, onboarding a vendor, or implementing a system — your choices carry implications. Audit doesn’t just evaluate those implications; it helps you think through them proactively.
Think of audit as your organizational co-pilot. Not steering the wheel, but helping you spot turbulence ahead.
Myth 2: “Audit slows us down.”
Reality: When involved early, audit prevents future breakdowns.
Internal audit isn’t a speed bump — it’s a GPS. The best African organizations bring auditors into project planning, system upgrades, ESG reporting, and process reengineering from the start.
The result? Fewer reworks. Fewer blind spots. More confidence in execution.
Myth 3: “Audit is just for finance and compliance people.”
Reality: Audit is cross-functional — because risk is cross-functional.
Audit has evolved. Today, auditors are enhancing their knowledge in data science, behavioral psychology, cybersecurity, ESG, change management — and yes, human dynamics. They work across silos to provide insights that no single team could see alone.
In essence, audit is the connective tissue that links your organizational promises to your operational realities.
How Non-Auditors Can Leverage Internal Audit
Whether you’re an emerging leader, a functional head, or a project manager, here’s how to make audit your ally:
1. Engage early
Invite internal audit into your initiatives. Not as compliance monitors — but as strategic sounding boards. Their questions will sharpen your execution.
2. Be transparent
Auditors don’t expect perfection. What they value is openness. Share your concerns, risks, and trade-offs. The more you disclose, the more they can support.
3. Ask for insight, not just approval
Too often, teams treat audit like an inspector. Flip the script. Ask for themes, root causes, and emerging trends. Use audit to learn, not just to pass.
4. Co-create solutions
Internal auditors aren’t just report writers. Many are trained in solution design, change leadership, and agile methodologies. Let them co-create with you.
Real-World Example: The Audit-Operations Alliance That Saved Millions
In a West African energy firm, the audit team noticed subtle anomalies in maintenance logs. Rather than raise alarms, they partnered with engineering to investigate collaboratively.
What they found was a supply chain flaw that, if unaddressed, could have triggered a system-wide outage during peak season. Thanks to early engagement, they preempted the failure, saving over USD 3.5 million in operational losses.
Lesson? Audit isn’t about pointing fingers. It’s about joining forces.
Why This Matters for Africa’s Next Decade
In a continent defined by growth, complexity, and transformation, African institutions can no longer afford to silo governance, compliance, and execution. We need holistic intelligence. Integrated foresight. Unbroken trust.
Internal audit — when understood, engaged, and empowered — is one of the few functions that can connect vision to vigilance, innovation to integrity.
And that’s not just relevant to auditors. That’s relevant to you.
The Call to Action: Reframe Audit in Your Mindset
If you’ve ever seen internal audit as “other,” this is your invitation to reframe. You are part of the governance ecosystem. And internal audit is here to elevate your role in it.
Ask questions. Seek insight. Collaborate proactively.
Because in tomorrow’s Africa, the most effective professionals will not just work in departments. They will work across disciplines — with audit as a strategic partner.
Our Commitment at AfriAudit
AfriAudit is more than a newsletter.
It’s a movement—to restore trust in audit, reposition the profession as a strategic partner, and help Africa’s leaders make clarity-driven, principled decisions.
We believe that when audit works, trust thrives.
Let’s Build This Together
Are you a CEO, board member, auditor, or policymaker committed to principled leadership?
Let’s elevate the internal audit profession across Africa. Let’s unlock its full potential as a lever for transformation and trust.
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With clarity and commitment,
Titus Wambua
Chief Audit Executive | Governance Advisor | Founder, AfriAudit
Turning audit into a boardroom asset — one institution at a time.
