“It is important Sierra Leoneans are better informed about what is really happening with government finances.”

That quote is from Lara Taylor Pearce, the Auditor General of the Republic of Sierra Leone. Since her appointment to the post in 2011, she has put forward more than a thousand recommendations for improving financial management—this despite frequent obstacles. Those obstacles include government officials who have not only criticized her work but also attacked her on social media. For example, senior members of the government pushed her to deny some of the allegations of public financial corruption in the 2020 Auditor General’s report; she refused.

Pearce takes pride in reporting the truth, in crusading for public accountability, and in educating her fellow citizens about the importance of transparency in the country’s financial matters. In addition, she introduced special audits such as for the use of Ebola funds.

Her positions have been many and influential: Principal Finance Manager and head of administration for the Institutional Reform and Capacity Building Project, Finance and Administrative Manager for the Public Sector Management Support Project, technical assistant in the Accountant General’s Department of the Ministry of Finance, and supervisory senior for KPMG Peat Marwick.

Pearce is mainly known for her strong presentations of audits and her determination that the government must base its policies on the results of those audits, particularly when, for example, millions of dollars are unaccounted for. And yet it is difficult: “Doing our job and maintaining our independence,” she says, “is a daily struggle. . . . I think the government views us as a necessary evil. Yes, we shine a light onto things that they would rather keep hidden; but we also lend credence to the accountability framework in the public financial management system, ensuring their actions are given greater national and international credibility.” This opposition comes even though, as Pearce says, her actions are honorable: “We are not investigating [ministries] to cause problems but to ensure that funds for the development of Sierra Leone are being spent judiciously.”

Pearce and her group—the Audit Service Sierra Leone—oversee 39 ministries, departments, and agencies; 19 local councils; 149 chiefdoms; 64 statutory bodies; and many donor-funded projects. They have been successful in slowing down the misappropriation of funds, thus benefiting Sierra Leoneans. As a result, the government is much more alert now to using funds as they are meant to be used.

So, despite the pushback from agencies that clearly do not want to be audited and the attacks from various sources, Pearce soldiers on for the good of the country. She continues to focus on not so much the audits as on what happens after the audits are reported. As she says, “The real work begins when those responsible take action to put our recommendations into practice.”

In addition to her official work, Pearce, has contributed her own money to help vulnerable youth and is a strong advocate for women’s empowerment and gender parity issues. Her voice as a strong woman has helped in bringing hope to a number of vulnerable women in Sierra Leone who are exposed to gender based violence.

As a result of her impeccable character, honesty and principle, Pearce was honored with the 2015 National Integrity Award from the Sierra Leone Anti-Corruption Commission.

Pearce holds a degree in Economics with Honors from Fourah Bay College-University of Sierra Leone, she is a fellow of the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (FCCA), U.K and of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Sierra Leone (FCASL). She is vice chair of the INTOSAI Development Initiative (IDI) Board, chair of the governing board of the African Region of Supreme Audit Institutions-English Speaking (AFROSAIE) and Grand Officer of the Order of the Rokel (GOOOR) President’s National Awards.