Ghana can no longer afford public resource waste - Finance Minister at Audit Report engagement

Dr. Cassiel Ato Forson, Ghana's Minister for Finance, has emphasized the need for a renewed national commitment to recovering, protecting, and properly accounting for every cedi of public money. At an engagement on the 2025 Auditor-General's Report in Tamale, the Finance Minister underscored that Ghana cannot afford waste in the management of public resources.

The event, themed "Recovering Every Cedi," gathered regional and local government leaders to bolster financial accountability, enhance compliance, and ensure that public funds are utilized strictly for their intended purposes. Forson stated, "Ladies and gentlemen, Ghana does not have the luxury of wasting public resources. Every cedi already has a job waiting for it."

He warned that uncollected or poorly spent cedis leave citizens without essential services such as healthcare, education, and infrastructure. The Finance Minister stressed that the theme "Recovering Every Cedi" should transcend being merely a slogan and become a fundamental practice across all governmental levels. "It must become a way of working: collect what is due; protect what is collected; spend what is approved; account for what is spent; recover what is owed; and prevent it from happening again," he said.

Forson emphasized that financial accountability extends beyond adhering to audit rules to ensuring that public funds translate into tangible improvements in citizens' lives. He urged Regional Ministers, Metropolitan, Municipal, and District Chief Executives, and Coordinating Directors to take audit findings seriously, recover funds where necessary, address loopholes, and strengthen internal controls to avert future losses.

Attendees included Regional Ministers such as Ali Adolf John from the Northern Region, Salisu Be-Awuribe Issifu from the Savannah Region, Ibrahim Tia from the North East Region, Puozuing Charles Lwanga from the Upper West Region, John Kwadwo Gyapong from the Oti Region, and Akamugri Donatus Atanga from the Upper East Region.