We are Society for West African Internal Audit Practitioners (SWAIAP), headquartered in Nigeria. SWAIAP was incorporated with a vision to institutionalize internal auditing as a foremost tool to detect and prevent corruption and corrupt practices, improve business processes and performance and mitigate as far as possible all forms of financial and non-financial risks both in the private and public sectors.
Our mission is to converge Internal Auditors across West African and neighboring countries for the purpose of reviewing the current internal auditing practices in West Africa in comparison with global best practices; practically sharing experiences on how we perform internal auditing in our respective organizations and educating internal auditors on global best practices with an emphasis on effective corporate governance, risk management, internal control and compliance and virile reporting systems, and informing stakeholders on the imperatives of effective internal auditing in West Africa.
Our services involve training and/or certification and consulting services. We also provide human resources related services to organizations in need of Assurance Professionals.
What we have done in SWAIAP is to bring together the various assurance providing fields under one umbrella to offer holistic assurance providing skills at affordable rates. We believe with this approach, we can massively turn out assurance skilled Professionals in our sub-region in a very short time.
SWAIAP is the preferred umbrella body for all internal auditors and related assurance professionals in West Africa and it’s positioned strategically to be the Number 1 (one) Accreditation Institution for the practice of internal audit and other related assurance professions.
To achieve this mission and vision statements, we have instituted four categories of memberships, Student Technician of West African Internal Auditor (STWAIA), Associate West African Internal Auditor (AWAIA), Certified West African Internal Auditor (CWAIA) and Fellow West African Internal Auditor (FWAIA), each level has an average of 38 courses to be completed in four (4) streams at an affordable rate. Note that, whereas stages of certification start from AWAIA and end in CWAIA; the STWAIAs are student members, while FWAIAs are fellow members who have attended a minimum of 10 years of professional experience in any assurance profession.
We are the first Professional Body in West Africa to partner with ARC Institute (a global-leading strategic think tank in the digitalization of business education focusing on SMART learning with Serious Business Games) and holds exclusive right across West African Countries to organize the Audit Championship event where participants will use a game-based learning platform supported by advanced technologies to learn, compete, grow, and help them reach their full potentials and impact business performance using video games. By this partnership, SWAIAP has gained global recognition as the certificate offers members and participants a globally recognized CPE.
It’s instructive to note that global authorities in Assurance profession (Anthony Pugliese:, President and CEO,, The IIA; Richard Chambers: Fmr. President and CEO, The IIA; Charlie Wright: Chairman on the Global Board of Directors of the IIA; Paul Sobel Chairman of the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission (COSO), Fmr. Chairman on the Global Board of Directors of the IIA; Jenitha John, Chairman on the Global Board of Directors of the IIA and Global Assembly Chairman 2020-2021 | CEO IRBa, The Independent Regulatory Board for Auditors, South Africa; among others) have given recognition to ARC Institute and its CPE
AIMS AND OBJECTIVES
i. To propagate through SWAIAP and other available platforms the need for effective internal auditing in West African sub-region as a foremost tool for anti-corruption, mitigation to the barest minimum of inefficiencies, ineffectiveness and other forms of financial and non-financial risks with strong corporate governance, risk management system and adequate internal control and compliance and virile reporting systems.
ii. To train and properly equip members with tools and skills necessary for effective internal audit practice in West African sub-region.
iii. To liaise with relevant agencies and institutions in the propagation of effective and strong corporate governance, risk management system and adequate internal control and compliance and virile reporting systems.
iv. To encourage the Publishing of Internal audit textbooks both Study and Practice Manuals for tertiary institutions and Professional Training institutions.
v. To encourage professional Institutions in West Africa to incorporate Internal Auditing in their syllabus as it is done in other developed economies.
vi. To encourage tertiary institutions in West Africa to include Internal Auditing in their syllabuses as done in other organized economies.
vii. To embark on research and development (R & D) that would bring about inventions and innovations that would be acceptable as global best practices.
viii. Finally, to enact a law backing the Practice, Regulation and Administration of internal auditing in West African countries.
In the meantime, the President has drafted a bill titled: Nigerian Internal Audit Practice, Regulatory and Administration Agency and Other Related Matters Bill 2013. This bill if promulgated into law will empower the internal auditors to perform their watchdog activities unhindered with great potential to enhance the knowledge and practice of internal auditing in Nigeria and enthrone sanity and stewardship decorum in our systems. With the hope that this prototype bill will be adopted across West African sub-region.
STWAIA – Student Technician of West African Internal Auditors
- Less than 2 years of work experience in the field of internal audit or its equivalent (Assurance Providers, like Risk, Compliance, Internal Control, External Audit, Inspection, Quality Assurance, etc.).
- Student undergoing the national youth service (NYSC).
- Undergraduate student in any accredited tertiary institution.
- FEE: NG 7,500 or USD 20
- Possession of minimum of first degree (BSc/HND).
- Must have 2 to 5 years’ experience in the field of internal audit or its equivalent (Assurance Providers, like Risk, Compliance, Internal Control, External Audit, Inspection, Quality Assurance, etc.).
- Must complete a character reference form to be attested by two (2) of the under listed:
Simply pay/transfer directly into our bank account:
SOCIETY FOR WEST AFRICAN INTERNAL AUDIT PRACTITIONERS Fidelity
Acct. No: 5600583752
Send details of your teller to: info@swaiap.org and president@swaiap.org or
WhatsApp Number: +2348033169799
CWAIA – Certified West African Internal Auditors
- Possession of a minimum of first degree (BSc. /HND), MBA, MSc., PhD.)
- Must have a professional certification.
- Must have 6 to 10 years of experience in the field of internal audit or equivalent (Assurance Providers, like Risk, Compliance, Internal Control, External Audit, Inspection, Quality Assurance, etc.).
- Must complete a character reference form to be attested by two (2) of the under listed:
- a. Head of your department at work.
- b. A professional practitioner.
- c. A fellow of a professional institute.
- FEE: NGN 20,000 or USD 54
FWAIA – Fellow West African Internal Auditors
- Possession of a minimum of first degree (BSc. /HND), MBA, MSc., PhD.)
- Must have a professional certification.
- Must have above 10 years’ post qualification experience in the field of internal audit or equivalent (Assurance Providers, like Risk, Compliance, Internal Control, External Audit, Inspection, Quality Assurance, etc.).
- Must complete a character reference form to be attested by two (2) of the under listed:
- a. Head of his department at work (NB: could be MD/CEO. Chairman)
- b. A professional practitioner
- FEE: NG 25,000 or USD 72
Batch 3 Enrollment Scheme:
Enrollment for the second Batch of Inductees into the Students, Associates, Certified and Fellow categories of SWAIAP has commenced. Internal Auditors and Assurance service providers wishing to skill up in the profession as well as NYSC members, Under-Graduates, and Others wishing to become Internal Auditors or Assurance providers should explore this window to register and get our certification.
Becoming a member of SWAIAP gives you the benefit to register automatically at discounted fee for National, Sub-regional, Continental and Global Audit Gamification Championship which gives you international CPE from ARC Institute recognized globally.
We train and certify members on the following assurance disciplines:
1. Internal Audit
2. Risk Management
3. Compliance
4. Controls
5. HSE
6. Anti-money
7. laundering
8. Forensic Audit
9. Fraud Examination
10. Corporate Governance
11. IT Audit
etc.