Throw more light on financial malfeasance - GACC entreats media

The media have been entreated to throw more light on the many infractions captured in the annual Auditor-General’s Reports to ensure perpetrators are held accountable. 

The Executive Secretary of the Ghana Anti-Corruption Coalition (GACC), Beauty Emefa Narteh, said that the non-consistent media scrutiny had allowed perpetrators of financial malfeasance to go unpunished.

She, therefore, urged journalists to take a keen interest in such cases and pursue the reports to ensure accountability, transparency, and the protection of public resources.

The Executive Secretary said the A-G’s Reports provided rich sources of evidence of how public funds were managed, yet they often received limited follow-ups by the media after their release. 
 

Event 

Mrs Narteh was speaking at a two-day training workshop in Tamale on the 2024 Auditor-General’s Reports for selected journalists from across northern Ghana yesterday.

The journalists in Tamale

Organised by GACC, in collaboration with the Ghana Audit Service, the workshop aims at strengthening journalists’ understanding of the reports and equipping them with practical skills for investigative follow-ups to the findings and recommendations.

The training formed part of the “Building Evidence for Increased Accountability in Ghana through a Multi-Stakeholder Accountability Initiative”, a project funded by the Hewlett Foundation.

Pressure

Mrs Narteh said the media needed to break down the complex reports into simplified information that the public could easily understand.

She said doing so would not only raise awareness but also put pressure on duty bearers to implement corrective measures.

“The Auditor-General’s Reports are not just documents to be shelved; they are accountability tools. Journalists must see themselves as the bridge between the technical content and the ordinary citizen, and use their platforms to expose corruption and demand accountability,” Mrs Narteh added.

She further urged the media to move beyond event reporting to investigative journalism that follows through on the recommendations of the A-G to determine whether responsible agencies take action.

Mandate

For his part, Assistant Director of Audit at the Ghana Audit Service, Fredrick Lokko, took participants through the mandate of the service and explained that it plays a constitutional role in ensuring financial discipline across public institutions.

He added that the service’s mandate included not only auditing government accounts but also recommending corrective actions.

Mr Lokko, however, said that effective collaboration with the media was necessary to ensure audit findings reached the public and translated into real accountability.

Writer’s email:mohammed.fugu@graphic.com.gh