President John Dramani Mahama has announced decisive steps to tackle the recurring misuse of public funds and financial irregularities exposed in the Auditor-General’s reports, signaling a new phase in Ghana’s accountability and anti-corruption efforts.
Speaking at the 12th Annual Conference of Chairpersons of Governing Boards and Councils, Chief Directors, and Chief Executives of the Public Service in Ho, Volta Region, President Mahama expressed deep concern over what he described as the persistent recklessness in the management of public resources.
He disclosed plans to hold a high-level meeting with the Chief Justice, the Attorney-General, and other key state actors on Thursday to design a “fast-track process” for punishing offenders.
“Recently, I’ve been watching the Public Accounts Committee hearing of the Auditor-General’s 2024 financial year report, and it’s so pathetic. Why must we every year congregate at the Public Accounts Committee, and then you hear all kinds of atrocious things? I mean, reckless use of public funds and resources”.
President John Dramani Mahama
President Mahama said his administration is determined to move beyond the usual cycle of public outrage following the release of audit reports.
He described the annual ritual of exposing mismanagement without consequences as unacceptable, stressing that it erodes public trust and undermines development efforts.
“I have a meeting on Thursday with the Chief Justice, the Attorney General, and others to find a final solution to this Auditor-General’s report — that persons who are found guilty of infractions or do not follow due procedure or lead to loss of public resources, we must have a fast-track process to send such people to Nsawam for at least six months.
“Until we do that, until there’s a deterrent, we’re going to come every year, and they say total misappropriation and infractions found out by the Auditor-General is about 15 billion cedis.”
President John Dramani Mahama
The President stressed that if Ghana could save even a fraction of these losses, the funds could be channeled into vital development projects across the country. “If we save 15 billion cedis, can you imagine what it could do?” he asked, underscoring the developmental impact of effective financial discipline.
According to the 2024 Auditor-General’s report, financial irregularities across Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs) amounted to GH¢18.4 billion, with the energy sector recording the highest level of infractions. These figures highlight systemic weaknesses in public financial management, particularly in state-owned enterprises and sector agencies.
However, there have been some positive developments. The Public Accounts Committee (PAC), working in close collaboration with the Auditor-General, has successfully retrieved GH¢12.9 billion of misapplied funds — a notable achievement in Ghana’s ongoing efforts to enhance accountability and recover lost public resources.
Despite these gains, President Mahama acknowledged that the mechanisms currently in place to enforce the Auditor-General’s recommendations remain inadequate.
He pointed to the constitutional provision that mandates Parliament to establish a committee to implement the findings of the Auditor-General’s reports — a provision that has not been fully operationalized since Ghana’s return to constitutional rule.
“There is a part of the provision that says after the Public Accounts Committee has sat on the Auditor-General’s report, Parliament must set up a committee. What we don’t know is whether it should be a parliamentary committee or a committee not necessarily made of parliamentarians to implement the findings of the Auditor-General.”
President John Dramani Mahama
He further noted that although Audit Report Implementation Committees (ARICs) have been established in various public institutions, their effectiveness has been minimal.
“Right now, what we use is the ARICs, and every department is supposed to set up one. But once they’ve come from the Public Accounts Committee, virtually nobody follows up on the recommendations that were given. And so the Audit Reports Implementation Committees are not working”.
President John Dramani Mahama
President Mahama insisted that accountability must be accompanied by real consequences for public officials who engage in financial misconduct. Without this, he said, Ghana risks perpetuating a culture of impunity that encourages the misuse of public funds.
The President expressed confidence that his planned meeting with the Chief Justice, Attorney-General, and other stakeholders would yield practical steps to strengthen enforcement mechanisms and ensure that public officials who mismanage funds face swift justice.
“After Thursday, I’m sure we’ll come up with some way where persons who are culpable of misusing the resources of the people will be held to account so that others do not follow suit”.
President John Dramani Mahama
President Mahama’s remarks mark one of the strongest signals yet of his government’s intention to confront corruption and financial indiscipline within the public sector head-on.
With billions of cedis at stake annually, the proposed reforms, if effectively implemented, could mark a turning point in Ghana’s long struggle to safeguard public funds and promote a culture of accountability in governance.
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