By Omowumi Johnbull,
In 2024, Solar Sister made the decision to invest in improved standardization and compliance by creating the position of Compliance Manager. One of our key goals when introducing the compliance role was to integrate more thorough internal audit processes into our operations, establishing more effective checks and balances, and mitigating potential risks. This was successfully implemented in January of this year, following a comprehensive internal audit conducted across various departments in all our operational countries, including Nigeria, Kenya, Tanzania, and our headquarters in the United States.
A detailed feedback report was compiled and shared with each country, highlighting areas where they are aligned with regulatory requirements, internal policies, practices, and procedures, as well as areas needing improvement to strengthen our compliance processes further. However, beyond the results, one of the biggest takeaways was what we learned about how to conduct a fair and consistent audit across diverse departments and countries (context). Each country operates in its own unique environment. Solar Sister spent significant time refining our approach to ensure we applied the same standards without losing sight of local realities and uniqueness. Another challenge was determining who could actually provide the necessary information for the audit criteria. Sometimes, the correct information wasn’t in the most obvious place, and Solar Sister did not want to assess criteria unfairly simply because the wrong person was being asked the question. These lessons are helping us build a more thoughtful, adaptable compliance process for the future.
Recognizing that compliance is a sustainable approach to driving lasting impact in the work that we do and the communities we serve, we are encouraged by the strong foundation this first internal audit has provided. It not only strengthens our confidence in the work we do but also reinforces our accountability and deepens the trust of our partners and donors. We remain committed to upholding best practices across our operational countries, within the organization, and throughout the industry in which we operate.