News:
October 20, 2026
The Public Accounts Committee on Monday, refused to continue the engagement with the Ministry of Local Government, Chieftaincy and Religious Affairs as the Administrator of the District Assemblies Common Fund (DACF), Michael Harry Yamson was absent.
The Chairperson of the Committee, Abena Osei-Asare thus asked the Ministry led by Deputy Minister Rita Naa Odoley Sowah and all the Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies (MMDAs) that came with them only when the Administrator of the District Assemblies Common Fund (DACF), Michael Harry Yamson is present.
The Chairperson said the hearing, which was considering the 2025 Auditor-General’s Reports on District Assemblies Responsiveness Factor Grant (RFG) infrastructure projects, could not proceed without the DACF Administrator.
Osei-Asare described Yamson’s absence as an act of disrespect to the Committee and said the hearing had been postponed specifically to allow the DACF Administrator to appear alongside officials of the affected assemblies. She noted that the RFG Coordinator had attended but told the Committee she was not in a position to answer questions on payments and other issues, while the DACF had also been cited in the Auditor-General’s report.
The Deputy Minister attempted to explain that the Administrator was out of town, but the Chairperson rejected the explanation, saying the same excuse had been given at the previous sitting. She questioned whether the Administrator’s absence from the office had also prevented other officials from attending, and insisted that the Committee had directed either Yamson or a responsible director to appear.
In a direct warning to the absent Administrator, Osei-Asare said: “Mr. Administrator, wherever you are, we told you the last time, and you have refused to attend this Committee, forgetting that this Committee has the powers of the High Court and that you can be summoned here.” She stressed that nobody is bigger than the office he occupies and directed that any additional costs incurred by the affected district assemblies because of the repeated postponement would have to be borne by the DACF Administrator.
The Deputy Minister appealed for the hearing to proceed, arguing that district officials were already in Parliament and ready to respond to audit queries. But the Chairperson remained firm, commended the RFG Coordinator for effectively responding to questions within her area of responsibility, and said PAC hearings are meant to provide a platform for all institutions implicated in the Auditor-General’s reports to account for their actions rather than merely attend proceedings.
Osei-Asare subsequently discharged the Deputy Minister and the MMDAs and announced that the Committee would formally write to the Chief of Staff about the Administrator’s conduct. She said the public hearing would resume on Tuesday, October 20, with the Ministry of the Interior, in line with the schedule outlined in the Auditor-General’s report.
Ghanamps.com