Finance Minister Dr. Cassiel Ato Forson has called on regional and local government authorities in Ghana to step up efforts to recover lost public funds and tighten financial controls. He emphasized that waste and mismanagement of public resources directly undermine the delivery of essential services, warning that Ghana can no longer afford to lose money that should be improving citizens' lives. The Minister made this call during an engagement on the 2025 Auditor-General's Report with Regional Ministers, Metropolitan, Municipal and District Chief Executives (MMDCEs) in Tamale.
The meeting, themed "Recovering Every Cedi," aimed to strengthen financial accountability, improve compliance, and ensure public funds are used for their approved purposes. Dr. Ato Forson stressed that public money should translate into tangible benefits for communities, including medicines for health facilities, classroom repairs, improved markets, drainage works, and feeder road maintenance. He explained that when a cedi is wasted, left uncollected, or poorly spent, somebody, somewhere, loses a service.
Dr. Ato Forson urged public officials to make the recovery and protection of state funds a routine administrative responsibility, rather than a commitment made only at official engagements. He stated that "Recovering Every Cedi" cannot remain just a slogan, but must become a way of working: collecting what is due, protecting what is collected, spending what is approved, accounting for what is spent, recovering what is owed, and preventing it from happening again.
The Finance Minister stressed that accountability must extend beyond compliance with audit requirements to ensuring that financial irregularities are addressed and weaknesses that expose public resources to losses are corrected. He called on Regional Ministers, MMDCEs, and Coordinating Directors to act on the findings of the Auditor-General, pursue the recovery of funds where necessary, and strengthen internal controls to prevent a recurrence of financial lapses.
Dr. Ato Forson emphasized that responsible management of public resources is essential to improving local infrastructure and ensuring that government spending delivers meaningful results for communities. The meeting was attended by several Regional Ministers, including Northern Regional Minister Ali Adolf John, Savannah Regional Minister Salisu Be-Awuribe Issifu, and Upper East Regional Minister Akamugri Donatus Atanga.
The Finance Minister's call is part of efforts to address the challenges facing Ghana's economy, including the depreciation of the cedi. According to reports, the cedi was the worst African currency in quarter 2 2026, according to the World Bank. The government has also been working to stabilize the currency, with the Deputy Finance Minister recently assuring that the cedi will continue to be stable.
The engagement on the 2025 Auditor-General's Report is a step towards ensuring that public funds are used efficiently and effectively. The government has procured over 2,000 transformers to improve Ghana's electricity access, which has reached 89.13%. The Minister's call for accountability and responsible management of public resources is expected to have a positive impact on the country's development.
Key points
- Dr. Cassiel Ato Forson urges regional and local authorities to recover lost public funds and tighten financial controls.
- The meeting aimed to strengthen financial accountability and improve compliance with public fund usage.
- The Finance Minister emphasized that responsible management of public resources is essential to improving local infrastructure and delivering meaningful results for communities.
