Tema, March 28, GNA – Ghana Integrity Initiatives (GII) has called on the government to comply with the Public Financial Management Act (PFMA) and Public Procurement Act (PPA) to safeguard the public funds and deliver value for money.
“The Government must also enforce Section (92) of the PPA Act which focuses on contraventions and penalties relating to procurement in instances of violations, especially under emergencies, to serve as a deterrent to public officers who may want to take advantage of the system.
“The Government must roll out a comprehensive communication effort through community radio and television to reach people in the local communities, using the appropriate languages,” Mrs Linda Ofori-Kwafo, the GII Executive Director, stated during the launch of the GII Corruption Risk Assessment (CRA) report.
The GII Corruption Risk Assessment report on the government’s COVID-19 interventions captured the views of over 3000 respondents, including citizens who were also beneficiaries of the covid-19 interventions, public stakeholders and private businesses.
The launch brought together over 60 participants across all sectors, public, private, civil society and the media.
Ghana Health Service, Ghana Education Service, Ministry of Health, Covid-19 Trust Fund, Ghana Revenue Authority and Public Procurement Authority are among the institutions that took part.
Mrs Ofori-Kwafo acknowledged the support of the Centre for International Private Enterprise (CIPE), particularly Ms Carmen Stanila, who is a Senior Consultant at CIPE, who supported GII during the implementation of the project.
Presenting the recommendations, Mrs Mary Awelana Addah, the GII Programmes Manager, urged the government to improve the sharing of information regarding the sources of funding and expenditures related to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The GII report also called on the government to conduct special audits on the COVID-19 related funds and expenditures to detect and address leakages and systemic weaknesses that could negatively impact the implementation of the interventions.
“Relevant Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs) and Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies (MMDAs) must organize periodic refresher courses targeted at building the capacity of officials of MDAs/MMDAs on the legal and regulatory framework (particularly the Procurement Act and PFM Act) that promotes efficiency, effectiveness, and economy in public service delivery.
“Ensure strict adherence to the requirement of publishing contracts and reports as stipulated in Section 79 of the PFM Act and Sections 31, 95 of the PPA,” she said.
Mrs Addah called for the establishment of mechanisms to promote sharing of critical information with staff of MMDAs to ensure compliance with the accountability requirements of their office.
“The PPA Board must act to fulfil their duty of care and prevent the abuse of single source and restricted tendering to guarantee the protection of the public funds.
“Strengthen and enforce internal control mechanisms of MDAs and MMDAs to ensure compliance with laid down rules, policies, procedures, and legal framework regarding public procurement to prevent the abuse of the systems,” Mrs Addah stated.
Ms Stanila expressed the hope the recommendations would be considered for implementation to serve as a best practice in similar situations.
GNA