Parliament approves GH¢838.3 million budget for Audit Service
Parliament has approved GH¢838,369,865 for the Audit Service to implement its programmes and activities for the 2025 financial year.
This is to enable the service to conduct 5,330 audits for ministries, departments, and agencies (MDAs), 261 audits for metropolitan, municipal, and district assemblies (MMDAs), 181 audits for traditional councils, 943 audits for pre-tertiary educational institutions and 10 audits for tertiary institutions
The budget includes GH¢710,735,897 for employee compensation, representing a 73.42 per cent increase from the 2024 figure.
The increase is intended to support the recruitment of 200 new staff to strengthen the service’s capacity in promoting accountability and transparency.
Office accommodation
The New Patriotic Party (NPP) Member of Parliament (MP) for Atiwa East, Abena Osei Asare, raised concerns about the limited presence of the Audit Service across the country.
She explained that while the service was expected to operate in 261 administrative districts, it was currently present in only 98 districts.
Moreover, she said, a large number of the service’s existing offices were either rented spaces or provided by district and municipal assemblies, making them less than 50 per cent independent.
“If we increase their capital expenditure, they can invest in acquiring their own offices, making them independent and fit for purpose,” she said.
Missions abroad
Mrs Asare, who is also the chairperson of the Public Accounts Committee of Parliament emphasised the need for additional funding to enable the Audit Service to effectively carry out audits of the country’s foreign missions.
She stated that auditing those missions remained a significant challenge due to financial constraints, adding that the service required resources to convert portions of its budget into foreign currency to cover travel and operational costs.
“A lot is going on in our missions abroad, and the Audit Service should be given the necessary funding to enable them to conduct proper audits in these areas,” she stated.
She revealed that in 2025, the Audit Service planned to audit five Ghana Armed Forces peacekeeping operations abroad.
She, therefore, urged Parliament to ensure that the Ministry of Finance released the necessary funds for those audits, emphasising that accountability and anti-corruption efforts depended on the service’s ability to execute its mandate effectively.
Budget concerns
The Minority Chief Whip, Frank Annoh-Dompreh, expressed concerns over a GH¢13 million budget reduction in the allocation for the Audit Service.
He referenced Article 187(6) of the 1992 Constitution, which mandated Parliament to debate the Auditor-General’s Report and establish a committee, where necessary, to address issues arising from it.
The NPP Legislator for Nsawam- Adoagyiri lamented that previous Parliaments had often failed to follow through on that constitutional requirement, allowing financial infractions to go unaddressed.
“Going forward, with the new leadership in Parliament, I will advocate strongly to change this narrative and ensure proper oversight of audit reports,” he said.
