Two Ministries, 15 MDAs to be audited

Accra, Oct. 6, GNA - A special audit of the Food and Agriculture Ministry and the Ministry of Local Government, Rural Development and Environment would be carried out by PriceWaterhouseCoopers to complement the routine audit of the Consolidated Fund.

In addition, 15 Ministries, Department and Agencies (MDAs) would be audited in line with the Multi-Donor Budget Support (MDBS) Programme for 2004 and 2005.

Mr Kwadwo Akowuah, Deputy Auditor-General in charge of Central Government Departments, who launched the MDBS programme on Friday, said it was aimed to provide the Government with greater predictability of donor inflows and improved coordination between development partners. The programme, called special audit of selected flows in the Central Government Accounts, started in 2003. It is to provide independent professional opinion on the amounts disclosed in the financial statements.

It was also to review and report on the effectiveness of systems used for the management and control of expenditure and the extent to which these systems were used and enforced.

Mr Akowuah said it would help to show accountability for the use of funds and to assure development partners that their monies were used for the purposes for which they were given.

PriceWaterhouseCoopers - Ghana, an internationally recognized audit firm, was, therefore, contracted by the Auditor-General in consultation with Development partners to audit these accounts after it was adjudged to have submitted the most economically advantageous tender. The development partners include German Development Cooperation and Danish International Development Agency (DANIDA).

Mr Akowuah said the MDBS was a manifestation of the commitment of Development Partners in Ghana to support the Country's long-term strategies of economic growth and poverty reduction.

He said PriceWaterhouseCoopers had been given four months to come up with a report based on which donors could further assist the Country. Mr Akowuah said to foster public-private partnership, four staff from Audit Service would join PriceWaterhouseCoopers team for this assignment and urged the Ministries, Departments and Agencies to cooperate with them and grant them unfettered access to staff and records.

He said the audit would provide the Government with adequate resources to be able to finance the implementation of the Growth and Poverty-Reduction Strategy II in an effective and accountable manner. Mr Vish Ashiagbor, Director of PriceWaterhouseCoopers - Ghana, said this was not in response to any lapses in previous auditing but it was to give an independent opinion and recommendations to rectify all weaknesses.