Internal auditors must be the eye of the public - MP

Mr Alexander Kodwo Kom Abban, a member of the Public Accounts Committee, has urged internal auditors to remain resolute and protect the public purse in spite of some intimidation from superior officers in their organisations.

Mr Abban, also the Member of Parliament for Gomoa West, urged internal auditors to go the extra mile of scrutinising suspicious transactions, receipts and vouchers issued for the purchase of goods or services in public sector institutions to ensure value for money.

He said sometimes the prices of goods and services purchased by a public organisation were three or four times higher than the one purchased by a private entity or an individual.

“As a member of the Public Accounts Committee sometimes we are confronted with prices of goods or cost of services in the Auditor-General’s Report, which send our tongues wagging, and we wonder if they were not purchased from the same market,” he said.

Mr Abban made the remarks at the opening of the Annual Internal Audit and Governance Conference of the Institute of Internal Auditors Ghana, in Accra on Wednesday.

The two-day conference is on the theme: “Impact of Leadership on Institutional Governance,” which attracted heads of ministries, departments and agencies, managers and chief executive officers of public organisations and internal auditors across the country.

The event would create a platform for knowledge-sharing, network and enable internal auditors to take stock of their activities and chart the way forward towards ensuring accountability, transparency and good governance in public institutions.

Mr Abban said the attitude of leadership at the various public institutions and social strata would determine the future growth or deterioration of the country.

He said the fight against corruption would be determined by the strong will of the political class, saying; “The fight against public sector institutional malfeasance rest first on the attitude of the leadership of that relevant entity, including internal auditors”.

Mr Abban urged internal auditors to develop the right attitude and develop an unalloyed loyalty to their respective institutions to ensure successful fight against corruption.

He condemned the popular Akan aphorism, which says; “government is only good to be dragged and not to be carried.”

He, thus, called for concerted efforts to conscientise the mindset of Ghanaians to love the nation and protect her assets from abuse and theft for individual benefit.

Mr Abban called for enhancement of the skills of internal auditors to ensure probity, transparency and accountability for the use of national resources.

He also added his voice to the call for internal auditors to be independent from the spending officers so as to avoid manipulation, and ensure accountability and transparency in all transactions.