The Public Accounts Committee (PAC) of Parliament’s accountability hearing in Kumasi on Monday was dominated by revelations of financial irregularities amounting to GH₵533,810 across three district assemblies in the Western North Region, exposing persistent weaknesses in local public financial management.
The assemblies, Juaboso, Aowin and Sefwi Akontombra appeared before the Committee unable to properly account for the sum, as highlighted in the Auditor-General’s report, prompting renewed scrutiny of expenditure control and revenue mobilisation at the district level.
At the centre of the concerns was the Juaboso District Assembly, where officials could not identify institutions owing the Assembly after auditors flagged GH₵126,000 in uncollected revenues.
The Finance Officer also failed to justify how a grader had been left to deteriorate for 15 years in a government compound, as well as payments linked to a waste management contract that officials could not adequately explain.
The Assembly further recorded GH₵124,000 in revenue shortfalls, which the Finance Officer attributed to what he described as “familiarity between collectors and the institutions.”
He also cited the inability of a female revenue collector to perform her duties due to pregnancy, a remark that drew visible reaction from members of the Committee.
Concerns deepened when the Assembly was unable to substantiate fuel expenditure exceeding GH₵200,000 for a DRIP machine, with no supporting documentation provided.
It also failed to resolve claims involving Zoomlion Ghana Limited, which was accused of not supplying four refuse containers under a contract. The company, however, disputed the claim, insisting it had fulfilled its obligations.
Auditors maintained that no delivery had been made, but Zoomlion representatives, led by Dr Francis Denteh, Chief Internal Auditor of the Jospong Group, challenged the findings, arguing that the audit relied on a lapsed 2019 contract instead of a subsequent agreement signed in 2024 and valid for five years.
At the Aowin District Assembly, officials could not account for GH₵41,810 in unpresented payment vouchers covering rent and fuel, with no documentation provided to support the expenditure.
The Committee subsequently ordered the District Coordinating Director and Finance Officers to refund the amount within 30 days.
Similarly, the Sefwi Akontombra District Assembly was directed to account for about GH₵42,000 in fuel expenditure, which officials claimed had been disbursed to security agencies but failed to substantiate with documentation.
The Assembly also received a 30-day ultimatum to release funds for substructure projects it had failed to support.
Committee Chairperson Abena Osei-Asare cautioned officials over their explanations, stating that “It is not okay for your image and integrity to say this to Ghanaians,” underscoring the Committee’s resolve to hold public officials personally accountable for financial lapses.
FROM KINGSLEY E. HOPE, KUMASI
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