*Public Financial Management Is Foundation Of Sovereign Resilience, Not Merely Accounting - Ghana Urges AFROPAC To Close Gap Between Audit Detection And Remedy*
The 6th African Organisation of Public Accounts Committees (AFROPAC) Conference in Accra has been urged to move Public Accounts Committees beyond hearings to systemic, verifiable follow-up, with Ghana announcing it is already tracking implementation of PAC recommendations.
Delivering remarks, Hon. Dr. Godfred Seidu Jasaw, MP for Wa East, speaking on behalf of the Majority Leader, James Agalga, said public financial management is not merely an accounting exercise but the foundation of sovereign resilience, macroeconomic stability and the social contract between the state and citizens.
He described the theme as timely and compelling, urging delegates to dissect every word and give expression to it in the conference outputs as a vital part of maintaining fiscal discipline, driving institutional reform and ensuring public investments deliver their intended purpose.
Hon. Jasaw said lasting progress requires closing the gap between audit detection and administrative remedy. For too long, PAC work has been viewed through committee hearings, yet the true measure of oversight lies in systemic follow-up.
"This is non-negotiable. This requires deliberate implementation of actionable, measurable steps to be sure that we don't come year in, year out to repeat the same thing," he said.
He called on governments and parliaments to institutionalise responsive procedures, statutory Treasury Memoranda, structured Executive responses and verifiable departmental timelines, stressing that manual tracking alone is no longer sufficient.
He disclosed that the Auditor-General of Ghana has already institutionalised processes to track recommendations of Ghana's PAC.
"When audit findings are assigned, tracked, resolved, and publicly reported, oversight shifts from postmortem review to an active engine of administrative performance. In Ghana we recognise that oversight credibility depends not only on number of hearings held but on the number of recommendations implemented," he said.
Hon. Jasaw urged the conference to consider practical measures including model PAC-SAI follow-up protocols, with three institutions working together a shared digital audit recommendation tracker, standard Treasury Memorandum, clear deadlines, performance reviews and annual public reporting on implementation of audit recommendations.
He also called for empowering revenue authorities, financial intelligence units and oversight bodies to act as a coordinated accountability chain, using transparent procurement, beneficial ownership disclosures and stronger contract oversight.
Touching on climate and health financing, he said with El Nino and climate vagaries, and trillions and billions announced for health and climate action, the same stewardship standard must apply.
PACs must shift from tracking only irregularities and tax evasion to tracking true impact.
He said the four-day conference, which has brought together Speakers, PAC Chairpersons, heads of Supreme Audit Institutions and delegates from across Africa, must produce actionable outcomes that ensure audit findings do not end up on shelves but translate into reforms that protect public resources.
Report filed by PKB
