Internal Audit and Compliance Department

About The Internal Audit and Compliance Department

The Internal Audit and Compliance Department of Institute of Human Virology, Nigeria (IHVN) exists as an arm of the Board of Directors to provide policies and procedures guiding day-to-day administration of the organization. It constantly reviews these polices while ensuring adherence and enforcement.

We make sure that all IHVN policies take into cognizance both local legislations and donor requirements. This guarantees that grants’ businesses are conducted in an effective and efficient manner, financial risks are reduced, and control systems are strong enough to safeguard the Institute’s operations and assets.

The department is also responsible for collating and reviewing all guidelines developed within the organization to ensure that such policies are strong enough to prevent and control errors, fraud and financial misstatements, whether intentional or non-intentional. We review all financial transactions emanating from central, regional and state offices, implementing facilities and sub- awardees to ensure compliance with set procedures.

There are two units in the department namely: Operation & Process/ Compliance Unit and System Strengthening/ Internal Audit Unit.

Each of these segments ensures full compliance with the Institute and donor policies and procedures guiding financial transactions.

We also work closely with financial consultants engaged to enhance the capacity of accountants in supported facilities for acceptable, error free financial returns to the Institute.

Through pre and post transactional reviews, we have prevented transactions that would have led to audit queries from either the external auditors or donors. This has resulted in high rating in complying with donors’ requirements and standards.

Some achievements of this department include:

• Carried out pre and post review activities, which have:
• • Reduced external audit queries
  • Assured donors to grant more awards to the Institute
  • Strengthened internal controls and processes.
• Reduced loss of donors’ funds by ensuring competitive bidding and procurement processes.
• Increased capacities of partners, funding sub-recipients and sub-sub recipients in rendering good and acceptable financial returns.
• Enhanced value for money in managing all supported health facilities and laboratories
• Made the Institute’s Audit Committee of the Board of Directors to be effective and efficient.

About The Internal Audit/System Strengthening Unit

The Internal Audit/System Strengthening Unit evaluates the Institute's internal controls, including its corporate governance and accounting processes. Other unit activities include,

• Providing independent assurance of the operations and effectiveness of the organization’s risk management, governance, and internal control processes.
• Performing bi-annual reviews of the operations at the central, regional, and state offices to ensure compliance with the Institute’s policies and donor requirements.
• Carrying out reviews of the Head Office’s departmental operations to ensure adherence to standards/policies guiding their operations.
• Regular reviews of the departmental Standard Operating Procedures to guide their operations.
• Reviewing payroll processes and related matters.
• Performing quarterly financial, operational, and system reviews of the Institute’s Global Fund sub-recipients, USAID TB LON 3 sub-recipients, and CDC-funded ASPIRE project sub-partners.
• Verifying the existence of assets and recommending appropriate measures to safeguard them, preventing unauthorized diversion.
• Investigating reported occurrences of fraud, embezzlement, theft, waste, etc

Accountants from the IHVN Internal Audit and Compliance Department and the Finance Department participate in the Institute’s 3rd Annual Accountants Conference themed “Advancing Excellent Grant Compliance.

About The Process and Compliance Unit

The Process and Compliance Unit handles the review of expenditures and reimbursements of supported health facilities and collaborating community-based organizations. It ensures compliance with policies, procedures, and guidelines.

Unit activities include:

• Evaluating supported sites in FCT, Nasarawa, Port Harcourt, and Katsina.
• Managing review and reimbursements for Community-Based Organizations, community pharmacies, collaborating organizations, and ENHANCE project facilities in Gombe, Zaria, and Port Harcourt.
• Monitoring adolescent and young people technology hubs in MCCEF (Nasarawa), Kurudu (Abuja), and AYP Katsina Tech Hubs.
• Conducting reviews of laboratories in the University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital Maiduguri (UMTH), Nnamdi Azikiwe University Teaching Hospital, Anambra (NAUTH), and Sokoto (UDUTH).
• Ensuring compliance to standard operating procedures of collaborating research institutions, sub-partners, and community-based organizations.
• Processing retirements and reimbursements for staff and training activities.
• Reviewing bank reconciliation for all projects.
• Conducting bi-annual asset verification exercises in key regions.

IHVN Chief Executive Officer, Dr. Patrick Dakum addressing accountants from the IHVN Internal Audit and Compliance Department and the Finance Department at the Institute’s 3rd Annual Accountants Conference themed “Advancing Excellent Grant Compliance.”