Audit of USAID/South Africa"s management of participant training

As of May 31, 1992, USAID/South Africa had eight projects with active participant training components with a total of 1,893 short- and long-term participants. Total participant training obligations and expenditures for these components were $39.87 million and $16.49 million, which constituted 22% and 20% of USAID/SA"s portfolio, respectively. There were three audit findings. (1) USAID/SA failed to establish appropriate selection criteria for short-term participant training. A total of 307 short-term participants were selected by contractors or subcontractors without guidance from USAID/SA. (2) USAID/SA did not always provide pre-departure orientation for short-term participants and did not always fully explain conditions and responsibilities of training to short-term trainees. These problems occurred because some project officers did not consider short-term participants to be in fact participant trainees. (3) USAID/SA did not have a comprehensive tracking system for follow-up of returned participants. As a result, USAID/SA did not know whether or not some participants had returned to South Africa upon completion of their training.