Finance Minister Dr. Cassiel Ato Forson urged greater accountability while addressing regional ministers and Metropolitan, Municipal and District Chief Executives (MMDCEs) at a meeting focused on the Auditor-General’s Report.
He reminded the officials that they serve only as stewards of public resources, not their proprietors, and therefore have a duty to handle them solely for the benefit of Ghanaians. Among his main points were:
- “Public money does not belong to government officials; we are only the custodians of those resources. Those resources belong to the people of Ghana: Our constituents, our citizens!”
- “So let us recover every cedi that is recoverable! Let us account for every cedi that is entrusted to us as public officials.”
- True accountability requires more than simply reclaiming lost funds. Ghana must put in place robust financial controls that make the recovery of misused or unaccounted resources a rare occurrence rather than a yearly routine.
The message builds on earlier appeals, notably a session held in Tamale around 9 October concerning the 2025 Auditor-General’s Report and themed “Recovering Every Cedi.” There, Forson repeatedly stressed that the country cannot tolerate waste, since “every cedi already has a job waiting for it” whether buying medicines, fixing classrooms, clearing drains, upgrading markets, or maintaining feeder roads.
Overall, the remarks reinforce a consistent drive for tighter fiscal oversight, the retrieval of public funds, the prevention of financial lapses, and the conversion of state resources into concrete benefits for citizens.
