Speak out against corrupt practices — EOCO

The Executive Director of the Economic and Organised Crime Organisation (EOCO), Maame Yaa Tiwaa AddoDanquah,has asked citizens not to limit the “See Something,Say Something” campaign to only potential external attacks,but also to acts of corruption.

She said for the nation to win the fight against corruption,it behoved every citizen to speak out whenever they saw anyone involved in an act of corruption.

She said even though the country had done a lot to fight corruption,“it is not reflecting in the way that people perceive corruption management in the country; that is why everybody must be on board because if you don’t say it,it will continue to get bad”.

The executive director of EOCO expressed worry that for three consecutive years,the country seemed to have stagnated in the fight against corruption despite numerous interventions put in place by the government,including laws.

“It is worrying that despite the numerous interventions that have been put in place by the government, including new laws and other measures,we are still where we are.

“All of us have to take the fight against corruption as a duty,and need to be passionate about what we are doing,” Mrs Addo-Danquah said. Sharing her views on the recent Corruption Perception Index (CPI) report,she said the fight against corruption must not be left in the hands of only institutions set up to fight it but should be collectively tackled by all.

Event 

The EOCO boss was addressing participants in the annual conference of the Controller and Accountant General’s Department (CAGD) in Kumasi in the Ashanti Region.

The conference,which was on the theme: “Enhancing economic growth through innovation and adaptation”, was attended by staff of CAGD from all over the country.

 They evaluated their performance over the previous year and also solicited inputs from stakeholders on how to improve services.

Staff,who excelled in their performance during the year under review,were duly rewarded for their hard work. 

Role of accountants

In a speech read on his behalf by the Ashanti Regional Minister,Simon Osei-Mensah,the Vice-President,Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, said accountants played a crucial role in the economic landscape,and that “their ability to leverage innovation and adaptation could significantly contribute to economic growth”.

 Dr Bawumia mentioned the Electronic Salary Payment Validation (ESPV),the Third Party Reference System (TPRS),the Ghana Integrated Financial Management System (GIFMIS),the E-Travel Card and the linkage of the National Identification Authority (NIA) database to the government payroll as some of the innovations.

“I believe that accountants can use some of these technological principles to enhance the economic growth of Ghana.

“You must continue to look for ways to enhance business processes to make it more accessible to stakeholders to have the right kind of information that would translate into economic gains for the country,” he said.

Achievements

The Controller and Accountant General,Kwasi Kwaning Bosompem, said for the first time in 2020,the department produced a comprehensive national account covering the entire scope of public funds across the three levels of government - central,local and public corporation and state-owned enterprises.

He said that provided a much broader view of the financial performance and position of the country at a specific period in time.

“What it means is that Ghana has joined the UK,Canada,Sweden, Australia and New Zealand in financial reporting at the nation