The Ministry of Finance has announced that no government payments will be processed without thorough verification, following the release of the Auditor-General’s report on arrears and payables as of the end of 2024. The ministry also stated that no financial commitments will be made without proper budgetary allocation.
Speaking in Parliament on March 10 on behalf of Finance Minister Cassiel Ato Forson, Deputy Finance Minister Thomas Nyarko Ampem said the new approach marks a decisive shift in public financial management.
“Going forward, no payment will be made without full verification, no commitment will be entered into without budgetary allocation, and no officer, regardless of rank, will be shielded from accountability,” he said. “This moment marks a decisive break from the past—a reset of public financial management. Discipline has returned to the centre of fiscal and economic governance.”
Deputy Minister Ampem stressed that the government is responding to Ghanaians’ demand for accountability. “Speaker, the Ghanaian people demand accountability. And under the Government of H.E President John Dramani Mahama, that demand will be met with action,” he said.
The Ministry has formally referred the Auditor-General’s report to the Attorney-General’s Department to pursue legal action against individuals implicated in mismanagement. According to the statement, officers who abused their positions, colluded with contractors, falsified records, or attempted to divert public funds will face consequences.
“The Ministry of Finance will no longer serve as a rubber stamp for weak controls and falsified claims,” Deputy Minister Ampem affirmed, adding that the government will not tolerate fraud or mismanagement.
“The Mahama administration refuses to accept this rotten system. We refuse to normalise waste, and we refuse to ask the Ghanaian people to pay for fraud,” he added.
