The Audit Service has organised a symposium for Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) in Accra under the theme “Supporting the Implementation of Audit Recommendations through Effective Advocacy”. This interaction, the Service believes has the potential to strengthen good governance and ensure greater audit impact.

The Auditor-General, Mr. Daniel Yaw Domelevo, said that he submitted four audit reports in 2018 and 10 audit reports in 2019 to Parliament before June 2018 and 2019 respectively, the mandated time for submission of audit reports to Parliament. He added that this symposium would help to serve the interest of the public better as the CSOs get informed and seek clarification on the audit reports.

In a welcome address, the Regional Auditor for the Greater Accra Region, Mr. Robert Fiadzo said that key stakeholders such as CSOs can advocate effectively when the Service empowers them through education and information sharing especially on published audit reports.

Mr. Fiadzo said that this maiden edition was geared at sharing with the CSOs information on two audit reports as well as developing practical strategies in getting the content of audit reports to the general public for them to demand accountability from public servants. These reports were: Report of the Auditor-General on the Management and Utilisation of District Assemblies Common Fund and Other Statutory Funds for the Year Ended 31 December 2018; and Report of the Auditor-General the Public Accounts of Ghana Ministries, Department and Other Agencies (MDAs) for the Financial Year Ended 31 December 2018.

The Deputy Auditors-General for District Assemblies Audits Department and Central Government Audits Department, Messrs. Blessed Baffuor-Atta and George Winful made presentations on these reports. On the way forward, the CSOs suggested that the Audit Service should organise educational programmes for audited institutions on how to avoid the infractions the Service reports on regularly. They also proposed that the CSO Platform under the Sustainable Development Goals and the media offer opportunity to share audit findings as well as bridge the expectation gap of the public.

The CSOs proposed that the Service considers preparing an abridged version of the audit reports with an index that ranks the Regions, Ministries, Departments and other Agencies as well as Assemblies in order of infractions committed. They also proposed to support the Audit Service with funding to ensure follow-up on audit implementation status. The Audit Service hopes to organise other engagements with the media, tertiary institutions and identifiable bodies.

Present at the symposium were the Deputy Auditors-General, Mrs. Roberta Assiamah-Appiah and Messrs. Johnson Akuamoah Asiedu, Benjamin Codjoe, Blessed Baffuor-Atta, and Assistant Auditors-General, Directors as well as some staff of the Service.