Cairo, Egypt – Somalia’s Auditor General, Ahmed Isse Gutale, joined regional and international leaders at the 3rd Arab Regional Forum on Transparency and Anti-Corruption in Cairo, underscoring the country’s growing commitment to good governance and financial accountability.
The high-level event, organized by the Arab Administrative Development Organization (ARADO) in collaboration with the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (UNESCWA), UNDP, and the World Bank, brought together senior officials, experts, and policymakers from across the Arab world to exchange experiences and chart new pathways for transparency and integrity in public institutions.
In his keynote presentation titled “Beneficial Ownership Transparency, Digital Transformation, and Cross-Border Cooperation,” Auditor General Gutale outlined Somalia’s recent progress in promoting openness in the management of public funds. He detailed reforms aimed at improving digital systems for financial reporting, strengthening oversight institutions, and advancing beneficial ownership registries to prevent corruption and illicit financial flows.
Gutale emphasized that transparency is at the heart of Somalia’s ongoing governance transformation, noting that technology-driven oversight tools are helping detect misuse of resources and foster citizen trust in state institutions.
“Our efforts are focused on ensuring that public resources are managed responsibly and that those entrusted with leadership are fully accountable to the people,” he said.
He also called for deeper cross-border cooperation among Arab nations to combat financial crimes and corruption networks that often transcend national boundaries, stressing that shared intelligence and unified standards are key to achieving sustainable governance.
The forum, which gathered representatives from over a dozen countries, served as a platform to assess regional progress on anti-corruption strategies and explore innovative methods for promoting transparency in both public and private sectors.
Somalia’s participation marked another step in its efforts to align national governance systems with international best practices, building confidence among citizens, investors, and development partners.