Public money belongs to the people, not government officials – Ato Forson
Dr. Forson stressed that government officials are custodians of the nation’s resources, not their owners, and must manage those resources with a clear sense of responsibility to citizens.
Dr. Cassiel Ato Forson, Ghana's Finance Minister, has urged public officials to take responsibility for every cedi of public funds entrusted to them and to implement systems that ensure the recovery of public money becomes an exception, rather than a regular occurrence. This statement came during a discussion on the Auditor-General’s Report, where he addressed regional ministers and metropolitan, municipal and district chief executives.
Dr. Forson emphasized that government officials are not owners of the nation’s resources but are entrusted with their protection and management. He reiterated that public money does not belong to government officials; it belongs to the people of Ghana, including their constituents and citizens. Speaking at the engagement, he urged officials to recover every recoverable cedi and to account for all funds placed under their care.
"Let us recover every cedi, that is recoverable!", Dr. Forson stated firmly. However, he clarified that accountability should extend beyond the mere recovery of funds. While he acknowledged the importance of recovering public money, he stressed that stronger systems must be built to prevent public resources from becoming a target for mismanagement.
"But above all, let us build systems where recovery becomes the exception, not an annual ritual," he advised.
Written by urgent.news from MyJoyOnline Ghana's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
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