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Deputy Minister for Finance, Thomas Nyarko Ampem, has called on African parliamentary oversight bodies to ensure that public spending delivers meaningful improvements in people’s lives.
He said citizens expect the money approved in national budgets to translate into functioning hospitals, better roads and other dependable public services.
Speaking on behalf of the Minister for Finance, Dr Cassiel Ato Forson at the 6th African Organisation of Public Accounts Committees (AFROPAC) General Meeting and Conference in Accra, Mr. Ampem urged delegates to tackle recurring financial irregularities and turn audit findings into action that protects public funds and improves lives
“Accountability without consequences is just documentation,” he said, calling for corrective measures, recovery of misused funds and sanctions where warranted.
According to him, citizens deserved clear explanations of how their taxes were spent and called for timely financial reporting, stronger oversight institutions and public updates on actions taken to address irregularities.
The Deputy Minister noted that, raising more money for education, infrastructure, healthcare, energy and jobs was only half the answer and was binding on leaders to make better use of what they already had.
“We cannot keep asking our citizens to contribute more taxes while allowing waste, leakages and financial indiscipline to drain the public purse” he disclosed.
He highlighted Ghana’s commitment to fiscal discipline, expenditure controls and transparency, noting that these efforts must translate into better services and greater public confidence.
The government, he underscored, had prioritized fiscal discipline, expenditure controls, transparency and value for money as central pillars of economic recovery.
Mr Ampem indicated that, about 22 laws in 18-months to lock-in reforms noting that strong institutions was fundamentally essential to strong personalities.
“At this point, let me commend Ghana’s Public Accounts Committee, particularly its Chairperson, my sister, Hon. Abena Osei-Asare, and her predecessors, for bringing public financial accountability closer to the people. Through their public hearings, they help break down complex audit findings into simple, everyday language that ordinary citizens can understand and relate to”. The Deputy Minister acknowledged.
Urging AFROPAC to establish a practical framework for tracking audit recommendations, he challenged delegates to measure success by problems resolved and resources recovered.
“AFROPAC must therefore champion strong, independent and adequately resourced oversight institutions, while promoting practical cooperation among Public Accounts Committees across the continent” He urged.
