By Love Wilhelmina Abanonave
President John Dramani Mahama has announced plans to hold individuals responsible for infractions, misappropriation, and reckless spending of public funds accountable, in a bid to deter future financial misconduct.
“Persons found guilty of infractions or causing the loss of public resources will be fast-tracked to Nsawam,” he stated.
Speaking at the 12th Annual Conference of Chairpersons of Governing Boards, Councils, Chief Directors, and Chief Executives of the Public Services Commission in the Volta Region on Wednesday, October 8, 2025, President Mahama expressed concern over recurring instances of financial mismanagement revealed during Public Accounts Committee sittings.
“Recently, I’ve been watching the Public Accounts Committee, and it’s so pathetic. Why must we, every year, congregate at the Public Accounts Committee only to hear all kinds of atrocious things, recklessness with public funds and resources?” he lamented.
The president assured attendees that he would meet with the Chief Justice, the Attorney General, and other key stakeholders to develop a lasting solution by setting up a committee to review and act on the Auditor-General’s report.
“I hear the total misappropriation and infractions uncovered by the Auditor-General’s report amount to about 15 billion cedis. If we save 15 billion cedis, can you imagine what it could do?” he said.
Mahama stressed that without deterrent measures, financial mismanagement in the public sector would persist. He also highlighted that constitutional provisions for follow-up actions have not been fully implemented, noting that Parliament is required to establish a committee after the Public Accounts Committee reviews the Auditor-General’s report.
He criticised the lack of follow-up on the committee’s recommendations, saying, “Virtually nobody follows up on the recommendations given, so the Audit Reports Implementation Committees are not working. We must find a way to create a deterrent because until people know that they can be held responsible for these things they do, they’ll continue to do the same thing.”
