Malaysia: Malaysia and Saudi Arabia have strengthened bilateral cooperation in public sector auditing through the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the National Audit Department (NAD) and the General Court of Audit (GCA) at the National Audit Academy here today.
According to BERNAMA News Agency, the NAD stated that the MoU was signed by Auditor General Datuk Seri Wan Suraya Wan Mohd Radzi, representing the Malaysian government, and GCA president Dr Hussam Abdulmohsen Alangari, for the Saudi Arabian government. The signing ceremony was witnessed by Saudi Arabian Ambassador to Malaysia Osamah Dakhel R. Al-Ahmadi and attended by senior NAD officials and representatives from the Foreign Ministry.
The NAD explained that the MoU encompasses cooperation in financial and performance auditing, the exchange of knowledge and expertise, training and capacity building, as well as joint research and the organisation of seminars and conferences. This collaboration holds strategic importance at the Asian level, as Saudi Arabia is set to assume the chairmanship of the Asian Organisation of Supreme Audit Institutions (ASOSAI) for the 2027-2030 term. Meanwhile, Malaysia is slated to be appointed ASOSAI Secretary-General for the same period during the 63rd ASOSAI Governing Board Meeting, scheduled in Astana, Kazakhstan, on Sept 16 and 17.
The NAD highlighted that this MoU marks the first agreement signed between the department and GCA since their partnership began with the participation of NAD officers in knowledge and expertise exchange programmes organised by GCA in 2024. The relationship was further strengthened through a courtesy call by the GCA president on the Auditor General in Putrajaya on Aug 15, 2025, as well as a special invitation extended by the GCA president for the Auditor General to attend the 15th General Assembly of the Arab Organisation of Supreme Audit Institutions (ARABOSAI) as a Guest of Honour from Dec 2 to 4, 2025.
The department noted that the collaboration is expected to pave the way for stronger capacity building, innovation, and public sector audit excellence across Asia, while expanding a network of expertise that could be mutually leveraged.