Governance expert deploys lack of accountability in public service

Professor Baffour Agyemang-Duah, a former Senior United Nations (UN) Governance Advisor, has bemoaned the financial and administrative irregularities happening in the public service.

He decried that such issues happened yearly because there were no systems in place to hold public officials accountable which had led to complete breakdown of probity, transparency and accountability in the system.

“The systems may be there, but they are not enforced, every year we come out with reports and nothing happens, I am concern like any other citizen of this country, our resources are being poorly managed and I think it is better we find a way to stop this as soon as possible,” Prof. Agyeman-Duah postulated.

He raised concerns in relation to the findings contained in the Auditor-General’s report for 2021 which revealed several breaches such as unapproved procurement, ghost names, unaccredited programmes being run by universities and failure to collect fees due, among others.

Prof. Agyemang-Duah, in that regard, he pointed out that the new resolve from Parliament should focus on how to stop financial and administrative irregularities to ensure processes towards strict adherence to probity and accountability were effected.

“I am happy at least new efforts are being made to ensure all the way to the Attorney-General, who is requesting, as to why necessary steps are not being taking to ensure people account for their stewardship, unfortunately, the political and bureaucratic elites seem to believe they are entitled to a kind of privileged-living in the country which makes them shirk their responsibilities for effective, efficient supervision and holding their colleagues accountable,” he asserted.