GWL inaugurates new Audit Committee to deepen financial oversight
The Ghana Water Limited (GWL) has inaugurated a new five-member Audit Committee, in line with the Public Financial Management (PFM) Act, 2016 (Act 921), to strengthen internal control systems, ensure compliance, and enhance financial oversight within the institution.
Chaired by Gladys Gillian Naadu Tetteh, a governance and public financial management expert, it also be responsible for overseeing the implementation of internal and external audit recommendations, monitoring financial reporting processes, ensuring compliance with relevant laws and policies, and advising management on risk.
Inaugurating the committee in Accra last Friday, the managing Director of the GWL, Mr Adam Mutawakilu, reiterated President John Mahama’s call for public servants to embrace accountability and lead by example, stressing on the importance of responsible leadership, transparency and public trust in governance.
The GWL MD also noted that the inauguration of the Audit Committee was not just a statutory requirement under the PFM Act, but also a strategic step in positioning Ghana Water to meet the highest standards of financial governance and internal control.
“Our goal is to ensure that GWL continues to operate with integrity and transparency in the discharge of its core mandate of delivering potable water to the Ghanaian public. We must be proactive in our governance processes, and this committee will play a crucial role in this direction,” Mr Mutawakilu said.
Director-General of the Internal Audit Agency (IAA), Dr Eric Oduro Osae, who administered the official induction, emphasised the committee’s dual role of oversight and advisory, and charged members to proactively support management in implementing audit recommendations and to regularly review systems before external audits were conducted.
Dr Osae highlighted that under the PFM Act, the Audit Committee is required to submit an annual status of implementation report to the President, a copy of which also goes to Parliament, the Auditor-General, and the Internal Audit Agency. He, therefore, urged the committee to take ownership of this responsibility and ensure that the 2024 Audit Committee Report, due in June, is submitted on time.
He further indicated that the government is rolling out new policy directives for State-Owned Enterprises (SOEs), including the revision of 2025 risk-based audit work plans by April 30, 2025, and tasked the GWL Audit Committee to align their work with these new expectations.
Ms Naadu Tetteh, in her inaugural remarks, pledged the committee’s readiness to work collaboratively with management and other stakeholders to uphold the integrity of the organisation.
“We are going to work together to continue to uphold the integrity of this organisation. We will ensure enhanced financial oversight and compliance levels at Ghana Water Ltd,” she added.
BY TIMES REPORTER
