Parliament must set up Public Interest, Audit Committees

As Ghana continues its democratic journey, we must keep strengthening institutions and ensuring transparency and participation in governance.

Under the Fourth Republic, holding public officers to account over the management of public funds in the country has been a recurring challenge in governance.

Arbitrariness in managing collective resources, corruption, misapplication of funds, diversion of resources, among others, have bedevilled the management of the country’s public resources.

Over the years, these lapses, seen principally through the sittings of the Public Accounts Committee of Parliament, have left a harrowing feeling in the pits of the stomachs of some

Ghanaians, as they wonder why those charged with the management of resources of the country cannot do the right thing.

With public outcry over revelation of lapses and leakages of public resources have come some overtures from the Executive, laws to regulate the space of public resource administration and resources.

Thus, we have the Public Financial Management Act 2016 (Act 921) which regulates financial management of the public sector, defines responsibilities and provides for the accounting and auditing of public funds.

In addition to that is the Public Financial Management Regulations, 2019, further detailing the implementation of Act 921, as well as investment management, human resources management, and the use of the Ghana Integrated Financial Management Information System (GIFMIS). 

The Petroleum Revenue Management Act 815, governs the management of revenue derived from petroleum resources.; while the Wildlife Resources Management Act, 2023 (Act 1115), and the Timber Resources Management Act, 1997 (Act 547) deal with promoting sustainable wildlife management, conservation and community involvement in protecting biodiversity and the management of timber resources in the country,

In spite of all the laws, Ghana still grapples with poorly managed public finances and other resources. At the beginning of the month, the immediate past Chairman of PAC, Dr James Klutse Avedzi, in an exclusive interview with the Daily Graphic advocated the establishment of the Public Interest Committees of Parliament and the Internal Audit Agency.

He expressed the belief that doing so would curb the recurring financial irregularities, infractions and general indiscipline in the management of accounts of public institutions.

For the past 32 years, according to him, under the Fourth Republic, Parliament has not been able to establish these agencies.

While the Public Interest Committee is to follow-up on reports by the Auditor-General on audited reports of public institutions, the Internal Audit committees of institutions ensures the implementation of audit recommendations.

It is generally believed that laws ensure conformity to standards.

Hence, laws on public financial management and administration in the country are to ensure that we get to an acceptable standard of the judicious use of resources for the benefit of all.

We cut our noses to spite our faces if we do not adhere to the laws, and much more if we do not follow through with the checks and balances in the Constitution.

The country is at a point where it cannot afford leakages and waste in its public purse because of the huge demands on it and the need to finance government machinery.

We have needs everywhere in a bid to address the development challenges and huge infrastructure gap.

For instance, the total appropriation for this year as contained in the government’s 2025 budget is a little over GH¢290.97 billion while the projected revenue and grants for the year is GH¢224.9 billion, translating into a shortfall of over GH¢66 billion. This is the more reason why the country cannot afford the luxury of being lax about public financial management.

The Daily Graphic finds comfort in the fact that President John Mahama’s Reset Agenda has cast its net wide enough to capture public officials who are alleged to have misappropriated or  mismanaged public funds.

Are those who govern not tired of  mismanagement of public resources? Do they have peers in other jurisdictions who are guarding resources to improve upon the lives of their people?

The Daily Graphic calls on the Speaker of Parliament to endeavour to live up to the expectation of Ghanaians, as the chief representative of us all, and ensure the two bodies are functioning in Parliament to stop the resource bleed.