The Role Of Internal Control In The Rural Development Of Cameroon: The Case Of The South West Development Authority (Soweda)

Abstract

The good performance of any Organisation depends on the internal control system established by the management. Such a system will ensure that the organisation's assets, liabilities and capital are carefully safeguarded from unauthorised use or disposition. It will also ensure that financial and other information is property maintained on a timely and reliable basis. The system will help to eliminate errors and irregularities will be quickly discovered and promptly corrected making sure that operational efficiency is maximised. It makes sure that managerial policies, organisational laws and regulations, sound accounting, judiciary principles and practices are adhered to. This paper carefully examines the role of internal control in the rural development of Cameroon using the South West Development Authority (SOWEDA) as case study. SOWEDA has been chosen because of its role in rural development (i.e. the disbursement of loans for rural development). The article explains that where internal control is weak, failure will set-in and funds earmarked for rural development may be misdirected.


African Journal of Finance and Management Vol.9(2) 2001: 41-50