PUTRAJAYA, Jan 26 — The National Audit Department (NAD) is undertaking the largest digital transformation in its history through the full digitalisation of its services, marking a major shift in public sector auditing towards a data-driven, transparent and responsive system.
Auditor-General Datuk Seri Wan Suraya Wan Mohd Radzi said the move leverages data analytics, big data and artificial intelligence (AI) to enable more comprehensive and faster audits, while safeguarding the integrity and security of information.
“This digitalisation initiative, which has been developed over the past two years, will now be fully implemented using approved allocations and internal capacity,” she said at the launch of the department’s 120th anniversary celebration by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim today.
At the event, the prime minister also launched the department’s full digitalisation of its services initiative.
Also present were Dewan Rakyat Speaker Tan Sri Dr Johari Abdul, Communications Minister Datuk Fahmi Fadzil and Chief Secretary to the Government Tan Sri Shamsul Azri Abu Bakar.
Elaborating further, Wan Suraya said the digitalisation initiative comprises several key components, including the e-SelfAudit System launched in February last year; the Auditor-General’s Dashboard (AGD 3.0), which will be upgraded to AGD 4.0 this year; the Human Capital Development System (SPMI), which went live in October 2024; the Audit Data Warehouse; and the eAudit 2.0 System, which will be enhanced to eAudit 3.0 this year.
She added that a National Audit War Room has been established, while all NAD state offices will be equipped with similar facilities using existing allocations to support the initiative.
According to Wan Suraya, the digital transformation aligns with the government’s aspiration to strengthen public sector services through digitalisation and technology, reinforcing NAD’s role as the nation’s key checks and balances institution.
“Audit is not about finding fault, but is an important instrument to drive improvement and create meaningful impact in public sector governance.
“With just over 2,000 officers, NAD serves as the nation’s checks and balances, ensuring that 1.6 million civil servants carry out their responsibilities with integrity, for the benefit of the people and the country,” she said.
Wan Suraya also said the department had completed audits of all 1,856 other entities, including government-linked companies, gazetted under the e-SelfAudit system.
The e-SelfAudit audit report would be tabled in Parliament for the first time next month, she added.
She said that amendments to the Audit Act 1957, approved in 2024 to empower the Auditor-General to conduct follow-up audits, have had a positive impact on governance and people’s well-being.
Among the direct benefits cited were findings from the 2024 audit of the Rural Water Supply Project in Sarawak, which benefited more than 1,400 residents, as well as improvements to roads, housing for the hardcore poor, and the provision of broadband access in rural schools.
Looking ahead, Wan Suraya said that in line with the MADANI Government’s aspirations, NAD will continue to conduct high-impact audits, including assessments of all Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) projects and programmes nationwide this year.
“NAD will continue to carry out higher-impact audits to ensure that every policy and every ringgit of public expenditure truly delivers value to the people and the country,” she said. — Bernama
