The Vice Chairman of Parliament’s Public Accounts Committee (PAC), Davis Ansah Opoku, has raised concerns over Ghana’s limited success in recovering public funds flagged in audit reports, describing follow-through on accountability measures as a major challenge.
Mr Opoku, who is also the Member of Parliament for Mpraeso, said between 2020 and 2023, the Auditor-General identified GH¢38.99 billion for recovery, but only GH¢12.72 billion had been retrieved so far.
He made the remarks while chairing a panel discussion at the National College of Defence Studies (NCDS), Burma Camp, on the theme: ‘Beyond External Audit and Oversight: Rethinking Strategic Options for Safeguarding the Public Purse in Ghana’.
The engagement brought together senior officers of the Ghana Armed Forces, officers from Malawi, Namibia, Nigeria, Rwanda and Zambia, as well as senior civilian officials.
According to Mr Opoku, Ghana’s challenge is not the ability to detect financial irregularities but ensuring that appropriate action is taken after such infractions are identified.
“Discovery is not our weakness—follow-through is,” he said, stressing the need for stronger systems to ensure that audit findings translate into actual recoveries and reforms.
He argued that protecting public resources goes beyond accounting procedures and should be treated as a national security priority.
“A country that cannot secure its budget cannot fully secure its people,” Mr Opoku said.