Internal Audit Agency needs prosecutorial powers to fight corruption swiftly – Director-General

The Director-General of the Internal Audit Agency (IAA), Dr. Eric Oduro Osae, has renewed his call for the government to review the bill establishing the agency and convert it into a service. 

He explained that this transformation would enhance the agency's capacity to prevent corruption, irregularities, and the misuse of public funds across various government institutions.

Dr. Osae made this appeal during a workshop held in Accra on Monday, August 19, for 40 selected journalists from public and private media organizations in the southern sector of the country. 

The workshop, focused on the Auditor General’s Report, was organized by the Ghana Anti-Corruption Coalition (GACC) with funding from the Hewlett Foundation. 

The event aimed to equip participants with the necessary skills and knowledge to understand, distill, and accurately report on the Auditor General’s findings.

The primary objective of the workshop was to promote transparency and accountability in public financial management, aligning with the GACC project, "Building Evidence for Increased Accountability in Ghana Through a Multi-Stakeholder Accountability Initiative."

Workshop topics included an introduction to public audits, public audit as an accountability tool, the nature, forms, and types of external audits, and the role of public audits in the Public Financial Management cycle. Participants also explored the understanding of the report, key areas to focus on, interpretation and analysis of audit recommendations, post-audit issues, and the structure of post-audit reports.

As a resource person at the workshop, Dr. Osae emphasized the need for the IAA to have prosecutorial powers to swiftly address infractions identified by internal auditors in the workplace. He advocated for a review of the bill to ensure that internal auditing exercises are more independent and professional, free from interference by employers who often threaten internal auditors with transfers or dismissal to silence them in cases of infractions.

"The professional abuse of internal auditors by their superiors on the job must be stopped if the fight against corruption is to yield positive results," he asserted.

Dr. Osae also urged journalists to meticulously study the Auditor General’s Report and to follow through on the implementation of its recommendations. He stressed that a sound understanding of the report would enable journalists to report on it with greater clarity and in the public interest.

In a presentation on the Right to Information Bill, Seth Bokpe, Associate Editor of the Fourth Estate, highlighted the bill's significant support for journalists in their pursuit of information in the public interest. However, he advised media practitioners to cultivate other credible sources of information to enhance their work.

The Executive Secretary of GACC, Beauty Emefa Narteh, added that it was time for political parties to move away from broad campaign promises in their manifestos and address specific development issues affecting the country, such as the conduct of public office holders.