Auditor General flags oversight issues concerning National Disaster Fund

 

By Kimone Witter  

 

 

A Real Time Audit conducted by the Auditor General's Department has identified areas of concern regarding governance and oversight of the National Disaster Fund.

 

It found that the National Disaster Fund Committee did not effectively oversee the management of the Fund as mandated by Section 37 of the Disaster Risk Management Act (DRMA), 2015.

 

Auditor General Pamela Monroe Ellis noted that the last Committee was appointed in September 2020, however, its tenure expired in 2023, with no evidence of new appointments as at December 15, 2025.

 

Therefore, she said there was no functioning Committee in place for the oversight of the National Disaster Fund. 

 

Mrs. Monroe Ellis said the non-operational status of the Committee creates uncertainty regarding how the Fund has been managed, administered, and utilised for disasters, subsequent to the last committee meeting. 

 

Furthermore, she said it is unclear whether the required criteria for funding projects related to disaster mitigation, prevention, preparedness, response, and recovery were developed and actively utilised. 

 

The Auditor General said a review of the financial management and reporting of the Fund will be the subject of its review in a subsequent report.

 

Mrs. Monroe Ellis said in December 2025, the Office of Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Management (ODPEM) advised that the guidelines for the Committee, which would inform the Fund's approval process in accordance with the DRMA, were in draft form. 

 

No timeline for the finalisation and submission of this draft document for approval was provided. 

 

The Auditor General said in a subsequent response in January that ODPEM acknowledged that it will make the necessary  representation to the Ministry of Finance and the Public Service regarding the appointment of a new Fund Committee and will conclude its review of the draft Committee guidelines no later than January 30, 2026, and submit them for signature by the appropriate authority. 

 

The audit determined that of the $350 million in the Fund, ODPEM has so far drawn down $207 million.