The Vice Chairman of Parliament’s Public Accounts Committee (PAC), Davis Ansah Opoku, has expressed concern over Ghana’s limited success in recovering public funds flagged in audit reports, describing the lack of follow-through on accountability measures as a major challenge.
Mr Opoku, who is also the Member of Parliament for Mpraeso, said the Auditor-General identified GH¢38.99 billion for recovery between 2020 and 2023, but only GH¢12.72 billion had been retrieved so far.
He made the remarks while chairing a panel discussion at the National College of Defence Studies (NCDS), Burma Camp, on the theme: “Beyond External Audit and Oversight: Rethinking Strategic Options for Safeguarding the Public Purse in Ghana.”
The engagement brought together senior officers of the Ghana Armed Forces, military officers from Malawi, Namibia, Nigeria, Rwanda and Zambia, as well as senior civilian officials.
According to Mr Opoku, Ghana’s main challenge is not identifying financial irregularities but ensuring that decisive action is taken after such infractions are uncovered.
“Discovery is not our weakness—follow-through is,” he said, emphasising the need for stronger systems to ensure that audit findings lead to actual recoveries and institutional reforms.
He argued that protecting public resources extends beyond accounting procedures and should be considered a national security priority.
“A country that cannot secure its budget cannot fully secure its people,” Mr Opoku said.
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