Government will support Audit Service to safeguard public purse - Bawumia

Vice President Alhaji Mahamudu Bawumia, says government will do everything possible to help the Audit Service safeguard the public purse.

Speaking at the 2018 Accountability Lectures and Launching of 2017 Financial Year’ s Audit at the Accra International Conference Center Monday, the vice president said, “Government will assist the audit service by providing the necessary support to ensure that collectively we safeguard the public purse against those who believe that their wealth ought to be bigger than our common good.”

The theme for the occasion was, “Protecting the Public Purse- Our Commitment towards Ghana’s Development Agenda.”

Dr Bawumia also said the country has what it takes to generate sufficient revenue to provide jobs for the teeming tertiary graduates, and also build a sound infrastructure base for economic growth and development.

According to him, this can only be achieved if much attention is given to revenue mobilization to ensure that all money due to the State by way of tax and non-tax revenue is fully and properly collected and accounted for.

“But without blocking the leakages in the system, all our efforts towards revenue generation will go to waste because some public officeholders will collude with third parties or private sector operators to appropriate public funds for their personal economic gains,” Dr Bawumia said.

The vice president, therefore, assured the Auditor-General and the Audit Service Board that, government would make every effort to provide the needed resources for their work.

He said government has already demonstrated such commitment by increasing its (Audit Service) budget for goods and services from GHC14million in 2016, to GHC19million in 2017, and almost doubling it to GHC35million in the 2018 budget.

“I am proud to say that as we did in 2017, government is committed to releasing all your budgeted funds in 2018. Delays in the release of funds compromise your ability to meet deadlines for the submission of the Auditor- General’s report to Parliament,” he said i The vice president urged the Auditor-General and the Special Prosecutor to work closely in ensuring a sound and effective public financial management in the country.

"These two institutions should work hard to bring to book any corrupt public official – be it a politician or a public servant, without fear or favour.

"With the current posture of the Auditor-General and what we know about the Special Prosecutor, I can say with confidence that the desire of President Akufo-Addo and this government to protect the public purse will come to pass sooner than later," he said.