(sav.gov.vn) - Within the framework of the official visit of Politburo Member and Chairman of the National Assembly Tran Thanh Man, together with the high-level delegation of Viet Nam, on the morning of 24 July (local time), Mr. Nguyen Duc Hai, Member of the Party Central Committee and Vice Chairman of the National Assembly, paid a visit to and held working talks with the Court of Auditors of Senegal in Dakar, the capital city of Senegal.
Receiving the delegation were Mr. Mamadou FAYE, First President of the Court of Auditors; Mr. Rene Pascal Diouf, First Advocate General; Mr. Fara MBODJ, Attorney General at the Court of Auditors; and other representatives of its departments.
On the Viet Nam’s side, the delegation comprised Mr. Ngo Van Tuan, Member of the Party Central Committee, Auditor General of the State Audit Office of Viet Nam (SAV); Mr. Hoang Van Luong, Director General of the General Affairs Department, SAV; Mr. Nguyen Quang Tung, Deputy Director General of Administration Department and Secretary to the Auditor General; and Ms. Lang Trinh Mai Huong, Deputy Director General of the International Cooperation Department.
During the meeting, on behalf of the leadership of the Party and the State of Viet Nam, Vice Chairman Nguyen Duc Hai expressed his pleasure in attending the working session and witnessing the emergence of a promising new relationship between the two Supreme Audit Institutions (SAIs), the Court of Auditors of Senegal and the SAV.
He stated that the official visit of Chairman of the National Assembly Tran Thanh Man and the high-level Vietnamese delegation to Senegal marks a historic milestone, taking place at a particularly meaningful moment for both countries and laying the foundation for strengthening bilateral relations. This is the highest-level visit between the two countries in nearly 60 years of relations.
Over the preceding two days, the Chairman of the National Assembly and Vietnamese delegates engaged in several productive activities with Senegalese agencies, including a Viet Nam – Senegal cooperation forum on trade, agriculture, and investment. Vice Chairman Hai emphasised that high-level meetings and the signing of cooperation agreements, including those between the two SAIs, demonstrate strong determination to advance bilateral collaboration across multiple fields.
“We highly value Senegal’s recent achievements and firmly believe that cooperation between the two countries, particularly in agriculture, trade and investment, will grow rapidly in the coming period,”, highlighted Vice Chairman of the National Assembly Nguyen Duc Hai.
He reaffirmed that the Party and the State of Viet Nam place great importance on the role of the SAV in ensuring transparency in public finance and strengthening confidence among international partners. Therefore, cooperation between the Court of Auditors of Senegal and the SAV receives strong political support during this high-level visit.
Although this was the first direct engagement between the two SAIs, Vice Chairman expressed confidence that the two institutions would soon develop effective cooperation activities, especially in sharing professional knowledge on areas of common interest, such as the application of technology in auditing and auditing for sustainable development.
“I trust that the SAV and the Court of Auditors of Senegal will continue to support each other within INTOSAI, contributing to sustainable development and raising the profile of the community of Supreme Audit Institutions.” Vice Chairman of the National Assembly Nguyen Duc Hai.
From his position as Vice Chairman of the National Assembly, Hai affirmed his commitment to promptly address matters within his authority to facilitate early implementation of the cooperation contents agreed by the two SAIs.
During the meeting, Auditor General Ngo Van Tuan expressed gratitude for the warm welcome extended by First President Mamadou FAYE and Senegalese colleagues. He provided an overview of the SAV’s activities and expressed the desire to deepen cooperation and learn from Senegal’s audit experience.
He noted that despite geographical distance, national bilateral relations have become increasingly closer, as demonstrated through recent high-level engagements such as the meeting between Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh and Prime Minister Ousmane Sonko, and now the visit of the Chairman of the National Assembly.
Tuan suggested that both sides consider mutual high-level visits and technical missions to strengthen professional exchange and gain insights into public sector auditing practices. In the long term, both sides could identify areas of strength to develop a longer-term cooperation plan, supporting each other within INTOSAI and in cooperation between ASOSAI and AFROSAI.
He also extended an invitation to President Mamadou FAYE to visit Viet Nam at the earliest opportunity and expressed the hope that bilateral cooperation would become substantive and effective.
Firs President Mamadou FAYE welcomed these proposals and introduced the role of the Court of Auditors of Senegal as the highest jurisdictional body in charge of public finance, responsible for examining, supervising, and evaluating the use of public funds and assets. As a judicial body, it has the authority to sanction public agencies and local governments for violations of financial regulations and public policy management. He affirmed that the two SAIs share many areas of common interest and can learn from each other.
He further proposed future cooperation in emerging areas such as climate change auditing, digital transformation, auditing in a digital environment, public financial oversight, and the application of artificial intelligence in auditing.
As part of the meeting, Vice Chairman Nguyen Duc Hai witnessed the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding between the two SAIs, opening a new chapter of collaboration.
Accordingly, within their legal mandates and national regulations, the SAV and the Court of Auditors of Senegal commit to sharing knowledge and experience to improve the quality, efficiency and transparency of public sector auditing, as well as to promote international integration and cooperation in this field.