Public sector account officers to benefit from IPSAS certification programme

About 5000 Accounting Officers from various public sector institutions are to benefit from the International Public Sector Accounting Standards (IPSAS) Accredited Certification Training programme.

The training, which is a year-long programme, has nine modules ranging from January to December and will equip participants to prepare and present financial statements on an accrual basis as required in Regulation 208 of the Public Financial Management Regulations 2019 L. I 2378.

The programme, organised by the Controller and Accountant General’s Department (CAGD) and being sponsored by the Swiss State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO) will be implemented on an e-learning platform provided by the PricewaterhouseCoopers.

It will provide hands-on practical training to Public Sector Accounting Officers in the preparation and presentation of IPSAS compliant financial statements.

The IPSAS was adopted in 2014 and approved by the Ministry of Finance with the CAGD assigned to take responsibility for the implementation process to aid inadequate financial reporting.

It is a set of standards issued by IPSAS Board of International Federation of Accountants to regulate and guide the preparation, presentation and disclosure of general purpose financial statements in the public sector across the world.

Mr Kwesi Kwaning-Bosompem, the Acting Controller and Accountant General, speaking at the launch of the IPSAS Accredited Certification Programme, said the training would be facilitated by the Institute of Chartered Accountants Ghana (ICAG).

He said in order to ensure transparency, public accountability and quality financial reporting government had implemented various Public Financial Management Reforms.

Mr Kwaning-Bosompem said the reforms had over the years been grounded in the Public Financial Management Reforms Strategy developed to serve as a National Strategic document to aid the development of the country’s Public Financial Management programmes.

Mr Kwaning-Bosompem said the goal of the strategy was to establish efficient, transparent and accountable resource mobilisation, allocation, management and utilisation of resources to meet the country’s development agenda.

He said a key programme under the capacity workstream was the IPSAS Accredited Certification Programme for the public sector accounting officers, auditors and other stakeholders to enhance their capacity in the preparation, presentation and audit of accrual-basis IPSAS financial statements.

The Acting Controller and Accountant General said until 2012, Public Accounts had been prepared in compliance with General Accepted Accounting Principles and in accordance with financial laws of Ghana.

He said the financial statements were prepared on cash basis, however, realising the shortcomings on cash-based accounting, the modified accrual system of financial reporting was adopted, which did not fully meet international standards.

“This invariably affected our Public Expenditure and Financial Accountability ratings,” he said.

Mr Kwaning-Bosompem said it was, therefore, a relief that the Ministry of Finance approved the adoption and implementation of IPSAS, which ensured Public Accounts were prepared on Accrual Basis, in line with international standards.

He said IPSAS would inherently improve fiscal transparency and accountability in the public accounts.

“The increasing use of public financial information both locally and internationally places greater responsibility on public sector accountants to disclose adequate information in their financial statements to aid interpretation, comparability and understandability,” Mr Kwaning-Bosompem, added.

He said an enhanced public financial information would support decision making across the public sector and also guarantee consistency of financial information.

Mr Kwaning-Bosompem said the adoption of IPSAS would improve the quality and comprehensiveness of financial information reported by public sector entities to provide credibility as well as acceptance.

Dr Hamza Bukari Zakaria, an Economic Governance and Public Financial Management Specialist, said at the Swiss Embassy, the Swiss State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO) Labelled their support to country’s Public Financial Management Reform as the PFM Reform Strategy Accounting Project.

He said the focus was to support the Government in the implementation of accrual-based IPSAS.

“We conceptualised the operation as an additional financing through a single donor trust fund to an active World Bank project (PFMRP) financed by an IDA loan of USD 45 Million,” he said.

Dr Zakaria, speaking on behalf of Mr. Heinz Kaufmann, Head of Cooperation and Deputy Head of Mission, Embassy of Switzerland for Ghana, Togo and Benin, said Accrual-based accounting systems enabled the production of financial information that provided a comprehensive and accurate view of government financial performance, financial position, and cash flows.

He said in contrast to cash-based accounting, accrual accounting recognised transactions as underlying economic events occurred, regardless of the timing of related cash receipts and payments.

Dr Zakaria said the launch of an IPSAS certification programme complemented and reinforced the collective resolve to institutionalise IPSAS in the continued professional development of public sector accountants.

“I wish to reiterate the continued commitment of Switzerland’s support through SECO to PFM reforms in Ghana,” he added.