The Auditor General’s report on the government’s COVID-19 expenditures has received a response from the Finance Ministry.
The state spent US$607,419.02 out of US$4,049,460.12 on the procurement of 26 ambulances, however, none of the vehicles were ever delivered, according to the Auditor General’s report.
The information ministry paid its employees an unapproved sum of GHC 151,500 for COVID-19 insurance, and the government paid for vaccines worth $81 million that were never delivered, according to the study.
The audit report further verified that the government received financing from other sources and mobilized GH21,844,189,185.24 for its Covid response from March 2020 to June 2022.
In a statement issued on January 25, 2023, the Finance Ministry, explained that the 53.8% and 46.2% of resources which according to the audit report were spent on direct COVID-19 interventions and general budget support were consistent with the mandate approved by Parliament.
The Ministry of Finance further explained that it coordinated the mobilization and disbursement of funds for the COVID-19 responses in line with the Public Financial Management Act.
“Hence, as reported on page 11, paragraph 31 of the report, the 53.8% and 46.2% spent on direct Covid-19 interventions and for general budget support respectively were consistent with the mandate approved by Parliament.
The Ministry of Finance coordinated the mobilization and disbursement of funds for the Covid-19 responses by the Government in accordance with the Public Financial Management Act, to ensure the timely release of funds to save lives, livelihoods, and property,” the Ministry of Finance clarified in the statement.
The Finance Ministry welcomed the audit and stated that it had taken steps to resolve all of the concerns mentioned in the report. It also assured that it was creating an emergency expense management guideline for future usage.
“The Ministry welcomes the Auditor General’s report and wishes to assure the public that, steps are being taken to address all issues. The following interventions are currently being pursued by the Ministry: Meetings are being organized to engage with the implementing Agencies to evaluate actions taken to implement the audit recommendations in the audit report. Preparation of an Emergency Expenditure Management Guideline. This guideline will provide the government with administrative protocols in times of emergency such as the Covid-19 pandemic to ensure compliance with relevant PFM regulations whiles providing timely responses”.
In order to ensure the proper use of tax income, the Finance Ministry has pledged to use all reasonable steps to enforce and improve expenditure control and accountability.
“The Ministry of Finance will continue to apply its best efforts to enforce and enhance expenditure management and accountability to ensure proper utilization of tax revenue to the full benefit of citizens using established budgetary and accountability systems in Government,” the ministry assured.
