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{{Prime Minister Pierre Damien Habumuremyi has advised government chief accounting officers to do away with common mistakes that appear in their reports if they want to achieve Rwanda’s target of having clean audit reports.}}

The premier was reacting to the recent 2010 Auditor General’s report that highlighted significant flaws in public funds accountability.

In a meeting which took place at the former Prime Holdings Hall in Kimihurura was attended by government ministers, Mayor of Kigali City, provincial governors and district mayors.

“We cannot allow our increasingly good image in matters of public accountability and good governance to be soiled by behavior we can avoid.

Since I’m sure none of you is happy with the blame we bear by virtue of the failures the report brought up, let us all find lasting solutions and commit to implementing them”, the Prime Minister said.

Participants agreed on measures to 20 common errors highlighted by the 2010 Auditor General’s report and among them recommend government institutions to strengthen their internal audit units.

“Accounting officers should receive regular and effective training, under the supervision of the Ministry of Finance, district finance administration units should be given capacity level and manpower size in finance administration commensurate with increased money volumes they handle. Ministries of Local Government, Finance and Public Service to follow up,” stated the recommendations.

From now all government agencies should within three months hire external auditors as a measure to supplement the Auditor General’s Office.

Government agencies must produce audit reports authored by external auditors before end of September 2011.

{{The First Lady Mrs. Jeannette Kagame will attend the 16th International Conference on AIDS and Sexually Transmitted Infections in Africa (ICASA), taking place in Addis Ababa from 4-8 December 2011, under the theme “OWN, SCALE-UP and SUSTAIN.”}}

Mrs. Kagame, co-founder of OAFLA (Organization of African First Ladies against HIV and AIDS,) will give remarks on Monday at a special First Ladies’ roundtable discussion on “The Justification For The Engagement of First Ladies In The Fight against HIV and AIDS.”

The session will deliberate on the efforts made and leadership provided by the spouses of African leaders towards achieving an HIV free generation, with the aim of enhancing commitment and action.

The ICASA conference expects to welcome more than 10,000 delegates from around the world including scientists, health workers, policy makers, people living with HIV (PLHIV), community leaders and activists working in the fields of HIV/AIDS, sexually transmitted infections, Tuberculosis & Malaria.

The conference provides a forum for exchange of experiences and lessons learnt in Africa and around the globe in responding to HIV/ AIDS and STIs, Tuberculosis and Malaria.

A key significance of the ICASA conference is that 2011 marks 30 years after AIDS was discovered as a new disease.

{{Though Rwanda has showed good progress in fighting corruption, Transparency Rwanda director Marie Immaculée Ingabire says more needs to be done in ensuring zero tolerance of bribery.}}

Ingabire has raised concerns including; issuing of jail terms to people found guilty of embezzling public funds yet they don’t refund the stolen money, another area is the employment process into government institutions.

She recommends that among the ways to discourage embezzlement of public funds, is by not only giving longer jail terms to culprits but also ensure that the lost amount is returned to government coffers.

“Imagine if you sentence someone to five years in jail for committing fraud of Frw 500 million, he or she will later be set free and use the money on their personal interests. We have seen many use this trick that’s why I still insist they should serve both the jail sentence and pay back stolen money. The law should be revised,” she advised.

Ingabire disclosed that she is personally tired of redundant reasons from some government officials who fail to deliver and put the blame to employees whom they claim lack competence.

“There’re two things either the official is corrupt or perhaps they hire incompetent employees based on their selfish interests,” she noted.

“How comes they claim workers lack competence yet the employment process was done professionally and those selected given a trial period to verify whether they are fit for the job? This doesn’t make sense,” Ingabire inquired.

Meanwhile, Transparency International ranked Rwanda on 49th place in the world among countries fighting corruption, 4th in the African continent and 1st in the East African Community.