Ato Forson calls for greater accountability in public spending: ‘every cedi has a Job’
The Minister for Finance, Dr Cassiel Ato Forson, has called for stronger accountability in the management of public funds, urging government officials to recover, protect and properly account for every cedi of state resources.
Speaking in Tamale at an engagement on the 2025 Auditor-General’s Report with Regional Ministers, Metropolitan, Municipal and District Chief Executives (MMDCEs), Dr Forson said Ghana could no longer afford waste and inefficiencies in the use of public funds.
The engagement, held under the theme “Recovering Every Cedi”, brought together regional and local government leaders to strengthen financial accountability, improve compliance with public financial management regulations and ensure that state resources are used for their intended purposes.
“Ladies and gentlemen, Ghana does not have the luxury of wasting public resources. Every cedi already has a job waiting for it,” Dr Forson said.
He explained that public funds could be used to provide essential services, including purchasing medicines, repairing classrooms, desilting drains, improving markets and maintaining feeder roads.
“So, when a cedi is wasted, left uncollected or poorly spent, somebody, somewhere, loses a service,” he added.
The Finance Minister stressed that the theme of the engagement must translate into practical action across all levels of government rather than remain a slogan.
“That is why ‘Recovering Every Cedi’ cannot remain just a slogan on today’s banner. 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 stated.
Dr Forson noted that financial accountability extends beyond compliance with audit requirements, emphasising that the responsible management of public funds is essential to protecting services that directly affect citizens.
He said government expenditure must result in tangible improvements in communities, particularly in education, healthcare, road infrastructure, markets, drainage systems and other essential public facilities.
He therefore urged Regional Ministers, MMDCEs and Coordinating Directors to treat audit findings with the seriousness they deserve, recover misapplied or outstanding funds where necessary, address weaknesses in financial management systems and strengthen internal controls to prevent future losses.
The meeting was attended by several Regional Ministers, including the Northern Regional Minister, Ali Adolf John; Savannah Regional Minister, Salisu Be-Awuribe Issifu; North East Regional Minister, Ibrahim Tia; Upper West Regional Minister, Puozuing Charles Lwanga; Oti Regional Minister, John Kwadwo Gyapong; and Upper East Regional Minister, Akamugri Donatus Atanga.
The engagement forms part of efforts to strengthen financial discipline and ensure that public resources are managed transparently and efficiently to deliver improved services and development outcomes for Ghanaians.
Source: Sekunde FM
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