The effectiveness of Public Accounts Committees (PACs) across Africa must be measured by how successfully they ensure the implementation of their recommendations and the resolution of financial irregularities, rather than the number of audit reports examined, the Clerk to Ghana’s Parliament, Mr Ebenezer Ahumah Djietror, has said.
According to him, the ability of PACs to secure corrective action and hold public institutions accountable for financial breaches is critical to improving public financial management and ensuring that public resources deliver tangible benefits to citizens.
Mr Djietror was speaking at the opening of the 6th General Meeting and Conference of the African Organization of Public Accounts Committees (AFROPAC) at the Alisa Hotel in Accra, under the theme, “Oversight for Resilience: Strengthening Africa’s Public Accounts Committees amid a Shifting Financial Landscape.”
He said PACs played a vital role in scrutinising the Auditor-General’s reports to identify financial irregularities, procurement deficiencies, revenue leakages and weaknesses in internal controls.
However, he emphasised that identifying such lapses was only the first step towards effective oversight.
“It is imperative that Public Accounts Committees move beyond identification of financial irregularities towards establishing effective mechanisms for monitoring the implementation of their recommendations and enforcement of corrective measures,” he said.
To strengthen follow-up on audit findings, Mr Djietror disclosed that the Parliamentary Service of Ghana was collaborating with the Ghana Audit Service to develop a digital tracking system to monitor the implementation of PAC recommendations and resolutions.
The proposed platform, he said, would facilitate systematic monitoring and periodic reporting on compliance by public institutions, helping the Committee identify outstanding irregularities and ensure that corrective measures were implemented.
He added that the Parliamentary Service was also working with the Ghana Audit Service and the Internal Audit Agency to establish standardised information-sharing protocols to improve coordination among the institutions.
Mr Djietror further disclosed that Parliament was undertaking institutional and legal reforms to strengthen its capacity to independently analyse fiscal measures, budgetary reports and public expenditure.
He said Africa’s pursuit of sustainable development required the mobilisation of substantial financial resources, alongside strong and accountable institutions capable of ensuring that public funds translated into measurable improvements in citizens’ lives.
“Government is about human development,” he said, underscoring the need for effective oversight to ensure that public resources serve the interests of the people.
The AFROPAC 2026 conference, hosted by the Parliament of Ghana from November 2 to 5, brings together PAC chairpersons, clerks, auditors-general and development partners from across the continent to deliberate on strengthening parliamentary oversight and accountability amid changing financial conditions.
NR NEWS
