President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, has reiterated government’s commitment to ensuring efficiency, value for money, and the protection of the public purse.

He said government’s digitalization agenda was aimed at formalizing the economy and providing a national database which is essential for service delivery and industrial revolution.

He said an efficient national database would help empower the Auditor General and other state institutions such as the Economic and Organised Crime Office (EOCO), the Internal Audit Agency, and other statutory institutions to systematically carry out their mandate to achieve compliance by citizens and protect the public purse.

President Akufo-Addo said this when he opened the maiden edition of the District Auditors’ Conference in Kumasi, on the theme: “Ensuring the Efficiency and Effectiveness of the State Auditor in a Digitized Economy”.

A national database, the President said, was one of the essential efforts by the government to transform all sectors of the economy and this would help auditors and other state institutions to discharge their duties effectively and efficiently.

President Akufo-Addo said the government was taking critical decisions to improve the economy by providing the requisite inputs and the required logistics to stimulate the economy on several levels.

The national digital property address system, paperless port, electronic payment of government services, and making the Ghana card the major source of identification, were some of the initiatives Ghanaians were already enjoying.

These had enhanced coordination among state institutions such as the Audit Service and provided significant benefits to citizens.

He said the overall objective of government was to integrate all databases for effective public service delivery and administration of the country, adding that an electronic platform would promote transparency and help improve the economy.

Mr. Johnson Akuamoah Asiedu, Auditor General, commended government for the immense contribution and support to the Audit Service in the fight against corruption, even at the grassroot level.

He said a digitized economy would bring a new life to the Audit Service in the discharge of its duties.

“A digitized economy will bring new life into the audit if our times. This will result in the audit efficiency, characterized by a mass reduction in average time spent and reduced cost due to the paperless process”.

Prof. Edward Dua-Agyeman, Chairman of the Audit Service Board, said the Service has active support from government to perform it’s professional duties effectively.

Mr. Simon Osei Mensah, Ashanti Regional Minister, called on state auditors to continue to play key roles in the fight against corruption in the country.

He urged them to avoid practices that would be an indictment on their professional duties.

The two-day conference was to brainstorm ideas and to make recommendations that would enhance the work of district auditors as well as assist the Auditor-General to achieve his mandates as provided under Article 187 of the 1992 Constitution.

The conference was also to provide a platform to chart a common path for optimizing audit delivery in the most efficient and effective manner in a digitized economy.