Edem Senanu pushes for new Auditor General over contract extension

The Co-Chair of the Citizen's Movement Against Corruption (CMAC), Mr. Edem Senanu, has stated that there are young individuals within the audit sector who possess the necessary skills and expertise to effectively serve as the Auditor General.

President Akufo-Addo has extended the tenure of the Auditor-General, Mr. Johnson Akuamoah Asiedu, for the next two years. Mr. Akuamoah Asiedu was due for statutory retirement from service on August 1, 2024. However, a letter from the Audit Service indicated that the President has extended his tenure.

Speaking on Morning Starr with Francis Abban, Mr. Senanu advocated for a fresh appointment for the Auditor General instead of a contract renewal. He believes it would be more beneficial to appoint a new candidate for the position of Auditor General rather than extending the current contract.

"We had the ruling where the Supreme Court said it was unconstitutional by the Presidency, even though they had argued that they knew what they were doing. Then the next person is given a post-retirement contract for another two years—what changed? It begins to raise questions about what 'A' did or did not do and 'B' did or did not do. So, it's inconsistent in terms of administrative policy and does not leave a very good impression of how things are being managed," Mr. Senanu stated.

"I think we should demand it, and I think it makes a lot of sense from a policy perspective to the point of understanding the criteria utilized in the decision to this extent. Because otherwise, it begins to make a lot of people feel uncomfortable and sets the kind of precedent we don't need if we want to be very effective in managing government institutions and processes. You can't have one arbitrarily seeming decision followed by another that seems not to follow any specific trajectory in terms of the position and criteria that informed why you are extending," he continued.

"So, we need to demand clarity on how they arrived at this decision to extend because I am quite sure that we have many people who would still qualify if they do a proper search for that position. There is a vast array of potential professionals in the state, and the opportunity to go through the search to identify a new candidate to occupy that office," Mr. Senanu concluded.