The Public Accounts Committee (PAC) has started hearing the audit recommendations by the Auditor-General on ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs).
Members of the committee followed line by line all the infractions and recommendations of the Auditor-General’s Report for 2025 when some agencies under the Ministry of Local Government, Chieftaincy and Religious Affairs appeared before it in Accra yesterday.
The committee also perused the audit findings on the Births and Deaths Registry and Regional Coordinating Councils.
The Deputy Minister of Local Government, Chieftaincy and Religious Affairs, Rita Naa Odoley Sowah, led the delegation to the PAC, which included the acting Registrar of Births and Deaths Registry, Samuel Adom Botchway.
Determination
The Chairperson of the committee, Abena Osei-Asare, stated that the committee was determined to make sure audit findings on MDAs were strictly followed through to recover unaccounted funds.
She said that where there was inappropriate expenditure, errant spending officers would be surcharged as recommended by the A-G's report in the national interest.
The Atiwa East Member of Parliament (MP) added that the era where little attention was given to recommendations of audit reports would no longer be countenanced.
"Many audit findings appear year after year, and it is becoming concerning to many citizens that little is done in terms of implementing the recommendations," she said.
Irregularities
At the sitting, the committee highlighted GH₡5.2 billion in irregularities, with GH₡4.8 billion on tax infractions recorded in the 2025 audit report.
Ms Osei-Asare expressed concern about the recurrence of similar audit findings involving public institutions, and said such development gave a clear indication that MDAs were not learning their lessons.
“If the same institution is cited repeatedly for the same control failure, then we are no longer dealing with just audit findings; we are dealing with a failure to learn,” she said.
The chairperson added that going forward, the committee would strictly require institutions appearing before it to explain what had changed following previous audit findings.
Summons
To show its resolve to exact accountability among public officials, the PAC summoned the Northern Regional Director of the Births and Deaths Registry to explain withdrawals totalling GH¢71,300 made without payment vouchers and other supporting documents.
According to the audit report, the withdrawals were made between March 12, 2024, and October 22, 2025.
The PAC raised concerns over many transactions that included withdrawals of GH¢15,800 and GH¢18,000, for which the required documentation was not available.
The Registrar of the Births and Deaths Registry, Samuel Adom Botchway, was questioned about the circumstances surrounding the withdrawals and the measures that had been taken to ensure compliance with financial procedures.
Although Mr Botchway told the committee that those outstanding issues had been addressed through payment vouchers, the committee insisted that producing documents after the transactions did not resolve concerns over whether the required procedures had been followed before the public funds were withdrawn.
Subsequently, the PAC directed the Northern Regional Director of the Registry to appear before it, together with Mr Botchway, by Friday, October 9, 2026, to provide explanations on the transactions.
