CHRAJ inaugurates Audit Committee

A five-member Audit Committee of the Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ), was on Tuesday inaugurated to ensure implementation of recommendations to the Commission.

The audit committee was inaugurated based on Article 86 to 88 of the Public Financial Management Act, 2016 (Act 921) to also prepare an annual statement showing the status of implementation of any recommendation.

The committee is chaired by Mr Edward Fiawoyife, a representative of the Internal Audit Agency (IAA) with Mrs Regina Commey, the Senior Principal Administration Officer of CHRAJ as the secretary.

The members are Mrs Josephine Opoku-Agyemang, a representative from IAA; Mr Emmanuel K. Arthur, a representative from the Institute of Chartered Accountants, Ghana; Mrs Nana Yamfoah, a representative from CHRAJ and Mr Henry Asheley, the Director of Human Resources at CHRAJ.

Inaugurating the Committee, Mr Ransford Agyei, the Acting Director General of the Internal Audit Agency, urged members to be interested in the management style of CHRAJ for effective delivery of their mandate.

He urged the members of the committee to acquaint themselves with the policies, the procedures and the management style of the Commission in order not to impose procedures of individual members’ professional body.

Mr Agyei said compliance issue was a major problem nationally, and charged the committee to ensure that compliance was maintained in the Commission.

He noted that the committee had the authority to cause investigations but within its remit and also to demand documents needed from the internal auditors.

He told them to use the internal auditors for confirmation of implementation saying, “the internal auditor will be your eye and ear.”

Mr Agyei urged Committee members to be committed to the task, saying that, there was the need to work closely with the internal auditor, finance officer and the Commissioner.

He noted the Integrity of members, due diligence, adherence to law and objectivity were very key.

Mr Joseph Whitall, the Commissioner of CHRAJ, pledged the Commission’s support for the committee and said all needed supports and documentation would be available to the committee.

He said the commission was keen on accountability because “we cannot hold officers accountable when we are not accountable”

He assured the committee of working with free hands, saying, “Transparency is very critical to the work of every institution given resources to work”.

Mr Fiawoyife, the Chairman of the Committee, pledged the dedication of the committee member’s expertise to the cause of the commission.

He said they would work assiduously to ensure that CHRAJ had minimal issues at the Public Accountability Committee calling.