GOVT WON'T SPARE THOSE WHO MISUSE PUBLIC FUNDS (PAGE 14, JULY 26, 2010)

THE Brong Ahafo Regional Minister, Mr Kwadwo Nyamekye-Marfo, has said the government will not spare any public purse holder who misuses or misapplies any public funds meant for the benefit of the society.
He has, therefore, urged managers of the country’s finances at the Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) to execute their mandate within the confines of the country’s financial laws and regulation in order to ensure the efficient and judicious use of public funds for the good of Ghanaians.
Mr Nyamekye-Marfo said this at the opening of a three-day public financial management seminar for Regional, District Fire Officers, Regional Accountant, Internal Auditors, storekeepers, Districts Accountants and Accounts Clerks of the Ghana National Fire Service (GNFS) drawn from the Brong Ahafo, Ashanti and the three Northern regions in Sunyani.
The seminar which is on the theme: “Financial Management: a Key to Organisational Development” is to take participants through the provisions of the three Financial Acts passed in 2003 and the regulation in 2004. The Acts are the Financial Administration Act 654, the Audit Service Act 584 and the Public Procurement Act 663.
Mr Nyamekye-Marfo appealed to the Regional Commanders, Accountants and Storekeepers of the GNFS to religiously apply the spirit and letter of all these financial management and regulatory instruments at their various offices to achieve the objectives of the seminar.
He also called for a timely and efficient financial reporting to provide the public with the assurance that public funds have been spent in conformity with legal and other mandatory requirements by public agencies.
Mr Nyamekye-Marfo reiterated that the government remained committed to good corporate governance in order to improve the lot of the citizens and would therefore not take lightly any deliberate commission or omission by any manager of the country’s finances.
“The government of Prof. J.E.A. Mills has demonstrated beyond any shred of doubt, its commitment to rid the country of corrupt practices that will deny our citizens their fair due”, he stated.
Mr Nyamekye-Marfo in his address gave the assurance that the government was exploring all possible avenues to equip the GNFS to enable it deliver on its mandate.
Mr Mark Brako-Appiah, the Head of Internal Audit, GNFS, for his part, said the seminar was the second to be organised this year and the second in the northern sector over the past two years.
He stated that the impact of the seminar has brought about a drastic reduction in the numerous audit queries the service used to receive from external auditors.
Mr Brako-Appiah stated further that the Chief Fire Officer and his management team had also realised that some audit queries were avoidable but as a result of ignorance, these officers found themselves culpable, hence the need to take them through the Financial Acts passed in 2003 and the regulation in 2004 so that officers would appreciate their responsibilities when conducting businesses on behalf of the service.