News:
April 3, 2026
The Chairperson of Parliament’s Public Accounts Committee (PAC), Abena Osei-Asare, has stressed that for Ghana to achieve true accountability, it must become a culture and not a one-day affair.
Speaking to the media after a public hearing on a special audit report, she explained that accountability is a process, which the Committee seeks to promote through its hearings.
“Deliberating on the Auditor-General’s report is the very culture we are trying to build as a nation. That does not take just one day; it must be done consistently,” she said.
Ms. Osei-Asare further noted that the PAC’s public hearings are not only enhancing accountability but also helping Ghanaians understand how government funds are accounted for.
“We are not always out there to find wrongdoing. Rather, we give Ghanaians the opportunity to know the amount of money that comes to government in a particular financial year,” she stated.
She added that without the public hearings, many Ghanaians would not have known what funds came in and how the government used them.
On the issue of sanctions, the PAC Chairperson expressed concern that penalties provided for under financial laws must be effective when breaches occur. She cited an example of a procurement director who committed an infraction but was only transferred to another ministry.
“If the sanction does not work, all the person knows is that if a wrong is done, I will be transferred. That is why the Majority Chief Whip called for interdiction. It is not enough to simply move someone from one ministry to another,” she said.
Ms. Osei-Asare lamented that while Ghana has many laws, including the Public Financial Management (PFM) Act, the nation falls short when it comes to enforcing them.
“The PFM Act should be made to work. We have a lot of laws, but acting on them is where we fall short. As a Committee, we need Ghanaians and ministers to help achieve this,” she added.
Kwaku Sakyi-Danso/Ghanamps.com