Bawumia: Gov’t will support Audit Service to safeguard public purse 

 

Vice President Alhaji Mahamudu Bawumia, says government will do everything possible to help the Audit Service safeguard the public purse.

Speaking at the 2018 Accountability Lectures and Launching of 2017 Financial Year’ s Audit at the Accra International Conference Center Monday, the vice president said, “Government  will  assist  the  audit  service  by providing  the  necessary support  to  ensure  that  collectively we  safeguard  the  public  purse  against those  who  believe that that their wealth ought to be bigger than our common good.”

The theme for the occasion was, “Protecting the Public Purse- Our Commitment towards Ghana’s Development Agenda.”

Dr. Bawumia also said  the country  has what it takes  to generate sufficient revenue to provide jobs for the teeming tertiary  graduates,  and  also  build  a  sound  infrastructure base for economic growth and development. 

According to him, this can only be achieved  if much attention is given  to revenue mobilization to ensure that all moneys due to the State by way of  tax and  non-tax  revenue  are  fully  and  properly collected and accounted for.

“But  without  blocking  the  leakages  in  the  system,  all our  efforts  towards  revenue  generation  will  go  to  waste because  some  public  officeholders  will  collude  with  third parties  or  private  sector  operators  to  appropriate  public funds for their personal economic gains,” Dr Bawumia said.

The vice president therefore assured the Auditor-General and the Audit Service Board that, government would make every effort to provide the needed resources for   their work.   

He  said government has  already   demonstrated such  commitment by  increasing   its (Audit Service) budget for   goods  and  services  from GHC14million in 2016, to GHC19million in 2017, and almost doubling it to GHC35million in the 2018 budget.

“I am proud to say that as we did in 2017, government is committed to releasing all your budgeted funds in 2018. Delays  in  the  release  of  funds  compromise  your  ability  to meet deadlines for the submission of the Auditor- General’s report to Parliament,” he said 

The vice president urged  the  Auditor- General  and  the  Special  Prosecutor  to  work  closely  in ensuring a sound and effective public financial management in  the  country.  

"These  two  institutions  should  work  hard  to bring to book any corrupt public official – be it a politician or a public servant, without fear or favour.

"With  the  current  posture  of  the  Auditor  General  and what we know about the Special Prosecutor, I can say with confidence that the desire of President Akufo-Addo and this government  to  protect  the  public  purse  will  come  to  pass sooner than later," he said.

Ghana | Atinkaonline.com 
 

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