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The Internal Audit Agency (IAA) has named the University of Mines and Technology (UMAT), Tarkwa, as the public tertiary institution with the best Internal Audit Unit (IAU) in the 2022/2023 auditing year. 

This was in recognition of the unit’s timely and regular submission of internal audit plans and reports; regular follow-up on audit recommendations; lending support to management by unraveling internal control breakdowns and making recommendations to solve them.     

Representatives of UMAT received a citation and a plaque during an awards ceremony at the 2023 Annual Internal Audit Conference held under the theme “20 Years of Internal Audit Practice in Ghana: Achievements, Challenges and Way Forward.” 

The ceremony was aimed at appreciating the efforts of Internal Auditors, Audit Committees and heads of public institutions that included State Owned Enterprises (SOE), Ministries Department and Agencies (MDA) and Metropolitan Municipal, District Assemblies (MMDA). 

“For your continuous drive for quality, penchant for learning new methodologies and teamwork among the staff of the unit, the IAA confers on the internal Audit Unit of UMAT, the award of the best Internal Audit Unit,” the citation read. 

In an interview with Ghana News Agency (GNA), Professor Anthony Simons, Pro Vice Chancellor of UMAT, stated that the award was an attestation of commitment to best practices and high standards that management has set for the academic institution. 

“To us it is good because we are protecting the public purse and we know there is room for improvement and therefore we will still urge the Audit unit to keep up with the good work,” he said.
 
Prof Simons also indicated that the institution was looking to extend its scope of audit beyond finance to include other critical areas that impact performance and productivity. 

Mr Samuel Effah, the Internal Auditor of UMAT said the success of UMAT’s Internal Audit Unit was due to the support of stakeholders such as the University’s audit committee, management, and its Council. 

“For the past few years, we have been receiving support from management and the benefit of the support is what we are witnessing today,” he said. 

UMAT started as the Tarkwa Technical Institute (TTI) on November 3, 1952, but was officially commissioned by the Governor of the Gold Coast, Sir Charles Noble Arden Clarke, on October 7, 1953. 

Upon the advocacy of the Ghana Chamber of Mines, the Government in 1961 redefined the mission of TTI to incorporate the training of mining technicians and other middle-level manpower for the country’s mining and related industries. 

It was reorganized to become the Tarkwa School of Mines (TSM) to train the required manpower for the mining and allied industries in Ghana. 
 
Since then, the institution has gone through many stages until November 3, 2004, when Parliament passed the law on the University of Mines and Technology into an Act of Parliament. 

On November 11 of that same year, the President gave the Presidential Assent and on November 12, 2004, the University of Mines and Technology, Tarkwa Act 2004 (Act 677) was gazetted, making it a university