THE Minority in Parliament of Ghana has rejected the Value for Money Office Bill, 2026, cautioning that it could inadvertently promote corruption and create an additional layer of bureaucracy rather than strengthen fiscal discipline.
The proposed legislation seeks to establish an independent Value for Money Office to scrutinise public projects before they are finalised, with the objective of reducing waste, curbing contract inflation, and improving accountability in public procurement.
However, presenting the Minority’s position, Minority Leader, Alexander Kwamena Afenyo-Markin, argued that the current governance structure of Ghana, characterised in his view by significant political influence, would undermine the independence and effectiveness of the proposed office.
Drawing comparisons with similar institutions in advanced democracies, he pointed to the United Kingdom’s National Audit Office and Canada’s Value for Money Office, noting that such bodies operate within systems that guarantee institutional independence from political control.
He contended that the Ghanaian proposal does not sufficiently safeguard against political interference.
A major concern raised by the Minority relates to provisions in the bill that empower the Minister of Finance to nominate the Chairperson of the governing board.
Mr Afenyo-Markin argued that this arrangement risks producing leadership that is politically aligned rather than professionally independent, potentially compromising the credibility and objectivity of the office.
He further criticised the bill as duplicative, insisting that Ghana already has a robust framework for ensuring value for money in public spending.
He cited existing laws such as the Public Financial Management Act and the Public Procurement Authority Act, alongside internal audit systems within public institutions, as mechanisms that already perform similar oversight functions.
According to him, rather than establishing a new office, government should focus on strengthening these existing institutions to enhance efficiency, accountability, and enforcement.
The Minority Leader also took a swipe at the Majority, describing it as a “walking contradiction” that has failed to deliver on promises made during the 2024 election campaign.
He warned that, if passed in its current form, the bill could become a conduit for corruption instead of a safeguard against it, and urged Parliament to reconsider the proposal in favour of improving existing legal and institutional frameworks.
BY BENJAMIN ARCTON-TETTEY
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