UAE accounts for 40% of region's Certified Internal Auditors

The UAE accounts for 40 % of the total number of certified auditors in the Middle East or around 1,624 (CIA) auditors working in the country.

According to a recent study by the Global Institute of Internal Auditors, the total number of CIA qualified internal auditors in the Middle East is estimated at around 4,112, distributed by countries as follows: Jordan (212), Bahrain (366), Egypt (386), Lebanon (360), Oman (328), Saudi Arabia (836) and the United Arab Emirates (1,624), including citizens and expatriates.

Commenting on this milestone, Mr. Abdulqader Obaid Ali, President of the UAE Internal Audit Association (UAE-IAA), said: "The CIA qualification is the mark of excellence in the internal audit practice in the world, and this prestigious position that the UAE occupies in this field today reflects the Association's commitment to take this profession to higher levels."

The CIA is an international professional certificate, issued by the Global Institute of Internal Auditors, which has several local branches and affiliates across the world. The IIA-Global offers the CIA certification exam in 20 languages.

"The greater number of certified internal audit professionals will definitely help in recognizing the important role this professional plays in both the public and private sectors," added Mr. Abdulqader. "We are very proud that the UAE reached this position, and we intend to work harder as an association to compete on a global positioning in the months ahead."

In a move to enrich the knowledge of the internal audit professionals and drive more Arab speakers to get certified, the UAE-IAA has recently translated to Arabic the CIA Exam, with the support of IIA-Global, thus making it the 20th language that the exam is conducted in.