News:
March 30, 2026
The Deputy Minister of Finance, Thomas Ampem Nyarko has refuted claims that the Ministry of Finance fails to adhere to the same financial regulations it expects other Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs) to follow.
The Public Accounts Committee had raised concerns about the ministry’s compliance with financial management laws after it emerged that some contracts were awarded without the required commencement authorization, relying instead on standard memos.
Appearing before the committee during the hearing of the Auditor-General’s Special Audit Report on Government Outstanding Claims and Commodities as of December 31, 2024, Mr. Nyarko assured that steps are being taken to address the situation.
“Currently, the Finance Minister has put me in charge of the Ministry of Finance as an MDA, given that we are both an MDA and a Central Management Body, as explained by the Chief Director,” he said.
He noted that he now oversees all requests for commitment authorization originating from the ministry. “I have to apply to the Minister for Finance as the Central Manager of the Economy so that instances where a memo is regarded as authorization by the Minister are eliminated,” he added.
Nyarko explained that the Finance Minister now subjects such internal requests to the same scrutiny applied to other MDAs.
“That is what is happening currently, and we believe that by the end of this process, we will have additional recommendations to help us improve further,” he emphasized.
Dominic Shirimori/Ghanamps.com