The Auditor-General, Dr. Pamela Graham, accompanied by the Deputy Auditors-General, has paid courtesy calls on key state institutions to build stronger working relationships and promote closer cooperation with the Audit Service.

The delegation has since visited the offices of the Controller and Accountant-General, the Public Accounts Committee of Parliament, the Public Services Commission, the Head of the Civil Service, the Judicial Secretary and the Clerk of Parliament.

Dr. Graham, in her engagements, acknowledged the importance of continuous training and professional development for Audit staff. She noted that building the capacity of Auditors is essential to equipping them with the skills and knowledge needed to respond to emerging challenges, deliver quality audits and make appropriate recommendations.

The visits also enabled Dr. Graham to formally introduce herself to the stakeholders following her appointment and reaffirmed the Service’s commitment to working closely with partner institutions to promote accountability, transparency and good governance.

The stakeholders congratulated Dr. Graham on her appointment and expressed their willingness to continue working with the Audit Service to support effective public sector management.

The engagements forms part of the Auditor-General's stakeholder outreach aimed at building productive relationships with institutions that play important roles in Ghana's accountability and governance system.

During the engagements, stakeholders shared ideas on key recommendations to assist strengthen the work of the Service.

They highlighted the need to improve both the quality and timeliness of audit reports, while urging the Service to embrace digital tools and applications to improve the monitoring and follow-up of audit recommendations.

To deliver greater impact, they recommended deepening partnerships and providing practical training for auditors on gathering evidence that holds up in court. Stakeholders also called for the strict enforcement of the Service’s mandate to disallow and surcharge and further advised that auditors deal directly with senior officers during field visits and ensure that high-level management responds to audit findings at each location.

These engagements has been very informative for management of the Service, serving as necessary avenue to similarly call on other stakeholders in the course of the year.