The Ghana Anti-Corruption Coalition (GACC) with funding support from the Hewlett Foundation, has organised a day’s training workshop for journalists to equip them to carry out in-depth reportage on the annual Auditor General’s Report.
The workshop was also to equip the 42 journalists drawn from both state and privately-owned media houses with broad knowledge on the nature and forms of public audits and the Public Financial Management (PFM) structure in the public sector.
The workshop held in Accra saw facilitators carefully and intensively taking the journalists through the various processes and regulatory frameworks that legally empower the Ghana Audit Service.
Dr. Eric Oduro Osae, the Director-General of the Internal Audit Agency, gave a presentation on the Public Financial Management (PFM) structure in the public sector, saying that public audit was in two forms, namely internal and external, explaining that the public audit includes financial and non-financial aspects of the service.
He noted that the financial audit included a review of financial statements, annual and mid-year statutory audits, and compliance audits, while the non-financial audit involved performance, forensic, operational, and value-for-money audits.
Dr. Osae noted that the power to appoint persons to hold public office was vested in the president on the advice of the governing councils/boards in consultation with the Public Services Commission (PSC), adding however that the discipline and management of officers were vested in the PSC.
“Article 284-288 of Chapter 24 of the 1992 Constitution also provides for the codes of conduct for public officers. In between these are politicians and other appointees whose emoluments are charged against the consolidated fund, and for the purpose of accountability, Public Officers are called permanent governments, whereas politicians are termed temporal governments,” he explained.
He disclosed that the PFM audit cycle included planning, budgeting, procurement, contracting, accounting, and auditing.
He urged journalists to consider reporting on both financial and non-financial audits when the Auditor General released its annual report.
Mrs. Beauty Emefa Narteh, the Executive Secretary of the GACC, said in an interview with the Ghana News Agency that the definition of corruption was not as concrete as it should be in Ghana and that it allowed people to get away easily with corrupt acts.
“The GACC recognises that the effective dissemination of the Auditor General’s findings requires a comprehensive understanding of the report, which is currently lacking. This workshop, therefore, aims to bridge this gap by equipping media professionals with the requisite skills and knowledge to appreciate, distil, and accurately report on the Auditor General’s findings,” she said.
She added that the work of the media on the accurate dissemination of the report would promote increased transparency and accountability around public financial management.
She said this is in line with the GACC project titled ‘Building Evidence for Increased Accountability in Ghana through a Multi-Stakeholder Accountability Initiative.’
GNA