GH¢19m Audit Service office inaugurated in Cape Coast

A GH¢19 million regional office block for the Audit Service has been inaugurated in Cape Coast.

The Central Regional Minister, Justina Marigold Assan, inaugurated the facility on behalf of the President, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo.

He said infrastructural development was not just about buildings, but about fortifying the very foundation of our nation's audit system for strengthening the principles of transparency, accountability and good governance.

"By strengthening the regional and district structures of the audit service, we are enhancing its capacity to fulfil its constitutional mandate more effectively ensuring that public resources are managed with the highest levels of integrity," he stated.

The President added that to support the critical work of the Audit Service, the government had consistently ensured that the Auditor General received its fair share of budgetary allocations leading to the completion of some stalled infrastructural projects.

Notable among such infrastructure, he said, included the Kumasi and Tamale regional offices and district offices in Agona, Winneba, Tumu and Kete Krachi which were currently fully operational serving the needs of the service.

President Akufo-Addo said offices of the Audit Service at Obuasi, Agona Swedru, Debiw and Akropong had seen significant renovation and commended the management of the service for the efforts adding the facilities were a beacon of the Audit Service's enduring commitment to upholding the principles of transparency, accountability and good governance.

The office is one of three regional facilities, the two others, which are in Koforidua and Ho, are to improve the infrastructural deficit for the service.

In 2016, the Cabinet approved a loan facility of €3 million from KFW, the German Development Bank group, for the construction of 25 offices of regional and district offices.

However, the President said procurement processes encountered significant bureaucratic delays which regrettably led to an increase in construction costs and necessitated the reduction in the number of offices from 25 to 19. 

President Akufo-Addo said the German government, however, during the 2020 Ghana-Germany intergovernmental negotiations committed an additional €11.5 million to the project, enabling the service to review the infrastructure development agenda to include an additional six regional and six district offices.

The Acting Head of Cooperation at the German Embassy, Franziska Jebens, said the implementation of the project began in 2018 with the design of all 19 offices.

She stated that the German Financial Cooperation financed the project with a total amount of almost €30 million to contribute to the Ghanaian development agenda to foster effective, transparent and accountable public institutions at all levels following the principles of good governance and enhancing the trust of the public in the service.

Strong audit service

Ms Jebens said the provision of the infrastructure aimed at strengthening the Audit Service, especially at the decentralised level, to fulfil its mandate and follow up recommendations of the audit level promptly.

She commended the Audit Service for the high quality of their reports, adding that the significance of transparent and prudent use of scarce public financial resources was evidence that Ghana is ready to balance the budget and stabilise the economy.

Ms Jebens said the inauguration marked a significant step in the pursuit of transparency and good governance, saying Germany was committed to such pursuits.

Protecting public purse

The Auditor-General, Johnson Akuamoah Asiedu, commended the President for his commitment to increasing budgetary support to the service and other accountability institutions, saying it was a testament to his dedication to fighting corruption and protecting the public purse.

He said the Audit Service owned only about 30 per cent of its offices across the country with many owned by the assemblies that they audited.

Mr Asiedu said the provision of the new offices was timely adding “Our independence as an institution will be greatly enhanced as a result."