Gov’t accounts to be scrutinised

Finance Minister Seth Terkper has affirmed that from this year all government accounts -- including transfers, transactions -- will be monitored electronically by the ministry through a system known as ‘B-Tracking’.

The ‘B-Tracking’ system, he explained, is being piloted and will soon take off in order to strengthen the cash management system to include others such as the e-Travel Card, e-Fuel Card, and Treasury Single Account.

He made this announcement at the Public Accounts Committee sitting in Accra.

“The Controller and Accountant-General working with the Finance Ministry will put in place a big tracking system that is being developed. It will give us the capability to view all government accounts without exception from all banks, all accounts,” Terkper said.

Mr. Terkper also added that the ministry is already in partnership with the Bank of Ghana -- and just as it is doing for payroll management, when the Public Financial Management bill is passed, it will empower the ministry to monitor on a real-time basis.

Government has grappled with employee salaries and financial irregularities in the civil service in the past, and Terkper stated that some of the actions it is taking to improve payroll management and also manage impacts from the compensation bill in 2016 include: Electronic Payroll Input Forms (e-Forms); Interfacing Payroll Database with SSNIT Biometric data; Nationwide Pension Payroll Head Count; Enhancing control and oversight.

He also said government is committed to rolling out a progressive Human Resource Management Information System (HRMIS) aimed at improving human resource management and development in the public service.

A new Public Financial Management bill is also being drafted to be passed into law in 2016 to provide a stronger regime for budget planning and formulation, execution and monitoring.

The PFM strategy was developed and approved by Cabinet to further enhance efficiency, transparency and accountability of the Public Financial Management Systems.

The Finance Minister also said that the PFM will ensure rules that are used to put the Controller in charge of personnel -- whether appointment, promotion, transfers, retirement or other forms of staff leaving the service -- will have to be validated first by the Public Services Commission.