DCES CRITICISED FOR INCREASING DEBT STOCK (PAGE 15)

PARTICIPANTS at a one-day public financial management workshop have criticised political appointees, particularly district chief executives (DCEs), who upon taking office at the assemblies, launched new projects without recourse to completing existing projects.
As a result, they said the trend had increased the debt stock of various assemblies, since they did not have funds to support the new ones.
The participants, drawn from various district assemblies, noted that in their quest to score political points, some DCEs of the metropolitan, municipal and district assemblies (MMDAs) must be been blamed for increasing the debt of various assemblies across the country.
The DCEs, according to the participants, lacked the willpower to continue existing projects started by their predecessors, but rather launched new projects which could not be completed.
As a result, there are many uncompleted projects in various districts across the country.
The assemblies were also said to be overdependent on the District Assemblies Common Fund and failed to embark on any revenue generation mechanism to generate more funds internally.
During questions and suggestions time, the participants said in the areas of revenue generation, property rates of commercial and public facilities were not properly valued. Some used old values, and payments were negotiated verbally.
Mr Seth Botchway, Deputy Head, Public Expenditure Monitoring Unit of the Ministry of Finance and Economic Planning, thanked the participants for their observation, and said due to lack of data, valuation and monitoring mechanisms, MMDAs had resorted to negotiation of revenues which could breed corruption.
Revenue generation, according to Mr Botchway, had dwindled from 22 per cent to less than seven per cent, and urged them to reverse the trend.
He said the level of poverty in certain districts made it difficult to meet revenue targets.
Mr Botchway also urged the assemblies to prioritise projects to ensure that the little fund available was used judiciously.
For his part, the acting Regional Auditor, Mr Ellis Gyau, said in this era of transparency and accountability, it was necessary for assemblies to be mindful of how they utilised public funds.
The Western Regional Minister, Mr Paul Evans Aidoo, noted that Ghana was faced with the problem of financial malpractices at different times and different institutions.
He said for the sake of the country and moral uprightness, people who found themselves in positions of trust and in charge of the disbursement of public funds should demonstrate a strong spirit of accountability to God and country.
“That not withstanding, the Government is determined not to be overwhelmed in ensuring that there is transparency and accountability and financial transactions are done within the right regulatory framework of which the people of Ghana would be the beneficiary,” he said.
The modules for the workshop included budget preparation and reporting, consolidated fund inflows, multi-donor budgetary support arrangements and internal funds arrangement.
They were also taken through budget and public expenditure management system, financial reports formats, receipt and payment concerns, consolidated fund reports, internal and external audit control matters as well as banking controls.