President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has charged the Ghana Audit Service to ensure that government expenditures are made in accordance with the law and that there is always value for money in all government transactions.
According to the president, the crucial role played by the Audit Service in safeguarding the public purse cannot be underestimated.
The President made the observation in a speech read on his behalf by the Eastern Regional Minister, Seth Kwame Acheampong, during the commissioning of a newly constructed regional office for the Ghana Audit Service in Koforidua, the capital of the Eastern region.
He explained that providing independent audits of public accounts would be the most important ingredient to build public confidence in the financial systems and promote good governance.
Nana Addo was convinced that the newly constructed office would help carry out audits on the accounts of the government, as well as the activities of the ministries, departments, agencies and companies under government in the region.
This, he acknowledged, would help to strengthen public financial management and ensure accountability and transparency in the use of public resources and that all public institutions and officers in the Eastern region must cooperate fully with the audit service.
He affirmed that the new regional office would provide a conducive environment for the efficient execution of audit activities and serve as a hub for training and capacity building for auditors within the region.
The President emphasised government’s commitment to support the Audit Service in its efforts to improve public financial management with the necessary resources and support to ensure that the service could operate independently and effectively.
He expressed his gratitude to the German Government and the German Development Bank Group (KfW) for funding the beautiful edifice as well as all those who have worked tirelessly to make the project a reality.
On his part, the German Ambassador to Ghana, Mr. Daniel Krull, was over-confident that the newly constructed Eastern Regional office would contribute to fostering effective, transparent and accountable government institutions, in line with good governance.
Mr. Daniel Krull specified that the objective of the new regional office was to increase accountability to strengthen accountability of the Ghana Audit Service at the decent performance level.
He disclosed that the German government remained committed to enhancing cooperation between Ghana with many developmental projects, including provision of solar power at Koforidua Technical University and many other projects.
Mr. Johnson Akuamoah Asiedu, the Auditor General for the Ghana Audit Service applauded the German and Ghana governments for providing financial support for the construction of the project.
Background to the project
In 2016, cabinet approved a loan facility of some thirteen million Euros (€13 million) from KfW, the German Development Bank for the construction of 25 regional and district offices for the Audit Service.
The loan facility agreement was subsequently signed on 12th December 2016, following Parliamentary approval on 31st October 2016.
Unfortunately, the procurement process was fraught with bureaucratic inertia, which delayed the project, thus affecting the cost of construction. The delay also led to the reduction of the number of offices to be constructed from 25 to 19.
However, during the 2020 meetings between the Governments of Ghana and the Federal Republic of Germany, the Government of Germany committed an additional €11.5 million to the project.
