Mr John Kumah, the Deputy Minister of Finance, has charged the newly inaugurated board members of the Public Interest and Accountability Committee (PIAC) and Public Procurement Authority (PPA) Board, to carry out their mandate to benefit the citizenry.
The Deputy Finance Minister reminded the board members that their appointment is a call to duty. He assured the board of his full backing and he is confidence that they will deliver.
“Your appointment is a call to public service, and I am confident that you will justify the trust that your nominating institutions, the government and people of Ghana have reposed in your diverse expertise and capacity”.
Mr John Kumah
Mr Kumah noted that the Committee has applied hard work and determination to the execution of its mandate since its establishment, stressing that its work has impacted positively on the management and use of petroleum revenues in the country. As such, he said the government is fully committed to support PIAC, and he referenced the active role played by the President in recent times to make sure the institution runs smoothly.
“Government’s recognition of this is demonstrated not only in ensuring stable financial support to its programmes and providing office accommodation for the Secretariat, but even to the extent that the President, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, was present himself to launch PIAC’s 10th-anniversary celebration on March 25, 2021, in Accra.”
Mr John Kumah
Mr Kumah stated that President Akufo-Addo’s government would continue to support PIAC in its work and stressed that the Ministry’s doors remained open to PIAC for engagement and collaboration while respecting PIAC’s independence as enshrined in the Act.
Professor Kwame Adom- Frimpong, the Chairperson of PIAC Board, thanked President Akufo-Addo for the confidence reposed in them and pledged to work according to the mandates of the Act.
Inauguration of PPA Board
The Deputy Minister, who also inaugurated the Public Procurement Authority (PPA) Board, said the Authority played an essential and pivotal role in Ghana’s Public Financial Management (PFM) regime.
Mr Kumah explained that the Authority’s establishment stemmed from the successful outcome of Ghana’s PFM reforms strategy which culminated in the promulgation of the Public Procurement Act, 2003 (Act 663) and its subsequent amendment in 2016 through the Public Procurement (Amendment) Act, 2016 (Act 914).
The Act, he said, included making proposals for the formulation of policies on procurement and ensure policy implementation and human resource development for public procurement.
Mr Kumah urged the Board members to work assiduously to improve the image of the procurement profession in the country and also achieve the mandates of the Authority.
The Minister noted that the PPA is expected to harmonise the processes of public procurement in the public service to secure a judicious, economic and efficient use of state resources in public procurement. It is also, to ensure that public procurement is carried out in a fair, transparent and non-discriminatory, environmentally and socially sustainable manner.
Prof Christopher Ameyaw- Akumfi, the Chairperson of the Board, assured government that the board would work with the law to prevent shortcuts of procurement and assist to ensure that the country’s purse was protected.
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