Account For Every Cedi Entrusted To You - Ato Forson Tells Public Officials
Finance Minister Dr. Cassiel Ato Forson urged public officials to account for every cedi they manage. He stressed that recovering public funds should be rare, not a yearly ritual.
Finance Minister Dr. Cassiel Ato Forson has warned public officials. He urged them to account for every cedi they manage. He also urged them to strengthen internal controls. This will help protect public funds.
The Minister made the call during a high-level meeting on the Auditor-General’s Report. The meeting brought together regional ministers and Metropolitan, Municipal, and District Chief Executives (MMDCEs) from across the country.
The meeting is part of ongoing government efforts to address repeated financial issues in the Auditor-General’s Report. It also aims to promote fiscal discipline in local government.
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Dr. Forson reminded officials that holding public office does not make them owners of state resources. According to him, public officials are only custodians who must manage resources in the best interest of Ghanaians.
He emphasized that public funds belong to the citizenry and not to any individual or political office.
“Public money does not belong to government officials; we are only the custodians of those resources,” he said.
He added that the funds belong to the people of Ghana and must be managed with transparency and accountability.
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The Finance Minister also urged the MMDCEs and regional ministers to recover every cedi possible. They must also account for every pesewa.
“Let us recover every cedi that is recoverable. Let us account for every cedi that is entrusted to us as public officials,” he urged.
Dr. Forson, however, stressed that the government should not focus only on recovering lost funds. He said the government should also prevent financial irregularities before they happen. He said the real solution lies in building robust financial management systems that prevent leakages.
In his view, accountability should be proactive rather than reactive, ensuring that systems work effectively to safeguard public money.
“Let us build systems where recovery becomes the exception, not an annual ritual,” he said.
His comments come as concerns grow about misuse of public funds. Financial irregularities at various MMDAs still dominate public discourse.
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