TCU auditors earn certification in international leadership program
By Secom / Serint
The auditors of the Brazilian Federal Court of Accounts (TCU) José Arimathea Valente Neto, head of the TCU Office in the state of Rio Grande do Norte, and Guilherme Pereira Souto, advisor to the Department of Government Audit for Energy and Communications (SecexEnergia), completed an international leadership training program. The auditors, representing the TCU, spent two years developing projects focused on strengthening leadership competencies within Supreme Audit Institutions (SAIs).
The SAI Young Leaders 2024/25 program is an initiative of the INTOSAI Development Initiative (IDI). It aims to prepare young SAI professionals for the governance and auditing challenges of an increasingly complex global landscape. The curriculum covers critical areas such as effective leadership, institutional resilience, coalition building, and strategic action in changing environments.
The final stage took place during a workshop in Muscat, Oman, from December 8 to 12. José Arimathea attended in person, accompanied by his coach, Junnius Marques Arifa, head of the Audit Department for Appeals (AudRecursos). Auditor Guilherme Souto participated in the activities remotely.
During the meeting, participants explored fundamental leadership and governance topics, including stakeholder coalition building, mutual-gain negotiations, strategic change reflections, and global trends impacting SAIs. Upon concluding the discussions, the auditors presented their project outcomes and discussed next steps to ensure positive institutional change within their respective audit institutions.
Auditor José Arimathea presented the results of the "Rede Cívica" (Civic Network) project. The pilot, conducted in 2023 and 2024, is part of the TCU's ongoing efforts to foster citizen participation. The project leverages technology to provide health and school-meal council members with indicators of potential irregularities, allowing them to resolve issues directly with local managers. Led by the TCU, the initiative engaged other Brazilian courts of accounts, public policy advisors, and local officials, culminating in a formal monitoring process.
Meanwhile, Auditor Guilherme Pereira Souto presented a change strategy titled "A collaborative strategy for auditing the energy transition." This project is part of OLACEFS Infrastructure and Energy Transitions Commission (COINFRA), currently chaired by the TCU. The initiative seeks to position SAIs as drivers of transparency and accountability in public policies aimed at replacing fossil fuels with clean energy. The strategy focuses on the collaborative adaptation of the "Energy Transition Practical Guide" to the regional context of Latin America and the Caribbean. To operationalize this, four thematic task forces were established, led by different countries across the region.
The process included virtual technical sessions and partnerships with international bodies, such as the Latin American and Caribbean Energy Organization (OLACDE) and the International Energy Agency (IEA), for methodological validation and data exchange. Future plans include a regional cooperative audit and the publication of a joint report. These actions aim to standardize the oversight of regulatory frameworks, social risk management, and the efficient allocation of financial resources for decarbonization across Latin America and the Caribbean.
