The National Disaster Management Office (NDMO) does not have an approved framework for effective aid management, the Auditor-General stated in his report on the General Administrative Sector that was tabled in Parliament recently.
Ajay Nand said effective aid management included proper planning, recording, controlling, distributions and monitoring of aid received during natural disaster.
The Office of the Auditor-General (OAG) found a logistics manual was still in draft format at the end of the financial year and proper recording of aid in kind received and stored in the new warehouse at Walu Bay for DISMAC store was not done.
“In absence of an approved aid management framework, the National Disaster Management Office is exposed to high risk of loss of aid in kind received through theft which may not be detected in a timely manner.
“Ineffective aid management could result in incorrect quantity of goods released, incorrect data recorded, poor decisions, excessive inventory levels, inefficient use of aid in kind, damage and loss.”
The OAG recommended the NDMO immediately develop an aid management framework with standard operating procedures to effectively manage all aid in kind received locally and abroad during disasters.
The NDMO stated they had a draft logistics manual that contained stock management, standard operating procedures and logistics process.
“This manual is nearing its final stages of drafting.”
