President John Dramani Mahama has appointed Dr Abdul-Baasit Aziz-Bamba as the Acting Director-General of the Value for Money Office, taking a major step towards making the newly established public expenditure oversight institution fully operational.
The appointment, announced by the Presidency on Tuesday, September 8, 2026, makes Dr Aziz-Bamba the first head of the Value for Money Office.
He will serve in an acting capacity pending receipt of the constitutionally required advice of the Governing Board, given in consultation with the Public Services Commission.
The appointment was made in accordance with Article 195(1) of the 1992 Constitution and Section 14(1) of the Value for Money Office Act, 2026 (Act 1172).
The Value for Money Office was established to strengthen oversight of government expenditure and ensure that public funds are used economically, efficiently and for their intended purposes.
The legislation establishing the Office was passed by Parliament earlier this year and subsequently assented to by President Mahama, providing the legal framework for an institution dedicated to assessing whether government spending and public projects deliver value to the Ghanaian taxpayer.
Its mandate is to ensure that every cedi of public expenditure serves the public good, with particular emphasis on strengthening scrutiny of public spending, reducing waste and improving the impact of government investments.
The creation of the Office forms part of broader efforts to strengthen public financial management and accountability, particularly amid concerns over waste, inefficient spending and poor value from some government projects and programmes.
Dr Aziz-Bamba brings a legal and academic background to the new institution.
Until his appointment, he served as a Senior Lecturer at the University of Ghana School of Law. He is a Harvard-trained lawyer with expertise spanning constitutional law, human rights, governance and other areas of public law.
His academic and professional background also gives him experience in legal analysis and issues relating to governance and public institutions.
His appointment places him at the centre of efforts to translate the new law establishing the Value for Money Office into a functioning institutional framework capable of scrutinising public expenditure.
The Presidency said the appointment represents an important step towards operationalising the Office, strengthening scrutiny of public spending, curbing waste and ensuring that public expenditure delivers tangible benefits to Ghanaians.
The success of the new institution will therefore depend not only on its legal mandate but also on its ability to independently and effectively scrutinise major government expenditures and projects and provide credible assessments of whether taxpayers are receiving value for money.
By: Christian Kpesese
