Dr Cassiel Ato Forson, the Acting Minister of Defence
Dr Cassiel Ato Forson, the Acting Minister of Defence, has charged members of the newly inaugurated Internal Audit Committee of the Ministry of Defence (MoD) to protect public funds.
They are to ensure that the Ministry does not feature in future Auditor-General’s reports for financial infractions.
Dr Forson said recent nationwide audits had revealed “avoidable and troubling” breaches in public financial management, stressing that such trends threatened public confidence in state institutions and democratic governance.
The six-member committee, sworn in on Friday, is chaired by Joseph Frederick Odartey Blankson, former president of the Institute of Chartered Accountants, Ghana.
The members are Patrick Vug Nanke, Head of Internal Audit and Investigations at the Internal Audit Agency, Gloria Dami-Baah, a Chartered Accountant and seasoned Internal Auditor, Brigadier General Ben Gah, former Commander, 15 Armoured Brigade and Dominic Agyemang.
Dr Forson recounted a special audit he ordered, which reviewed GH¢18 billion in bank transfer advices.
The exercise, conducted jointly by the Auditor-General, SNY and PwC, led to the rejection of GH¢1 billion worth of processed invoices that had passed through various ministries and agencies and were awaiting payment at the Bank of Ghana.
“Had we not paused the payments for an audit, GH¢1 billion of public funds would have been lost,” he said.
“If one audit can throw out GH¢1 billion, then what has happened over the last 10 years? This shows that significant sums may have been paid illegitimately.”
He cited a vehicular procurement transaction in which documents were fully processed, validated and forwarded for payment although no vehicle had been delivered.
“Who signed the stores receipt voucher? Who validated it?” he asked.
“This wasn’t done by a politician. Even if instructed, how do you sign for something that is not physically present?”
Dr Forson called for stronger internal control systems within Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) and urged the new committee to ensure that no such lapses originated from the MoD.
“If any part of this country fails, not the Ministry of Defence,” he said.
“This is where the line of integrity must be drawn. I do not want to see an Auditor-General’s report citing this Ministry.”
He emphasised the need for the Ministry to uphold the highest standards of transparency and accountability, especially after a difficult economic period during which citizens lost pensions and savings.
Mr Odartey Blankson, Chairperson of the committee, said members would ensure that audit recommendations were implemented promptly and that internal control systems worked effectively to prevent infractions.
He criticised the practice of endorsing stores receipt vouchers without physically verifying items, describing it as unacceptable.
“How does anyone sign a stores receipt voucher without seeing the item?” he asked. “Our responsibility is to ensure such things never happen. We must be the bridge between auditors and management and work proactively, not reactively.”
Blankson said the committee would advise on risk management, internal controls and governance systems to reduce waste and safeguard public resources.
Thomas Thompson Aryee, Director-General of the Internal Audit Agency (IAA), said structural gaps in the national internal audit framework continued to weaken the ability of internal auditors to oversee payment and procurement processes.
He noted that internal auditors remained excluded from payment and approval workflows within MDAs, allowing transactions to proceed without their knowledge.
Aryee highlighted the introduction of the Commitment Control and Certification (CCC) system to strengthen procurement accountability but said compliance remained low, with only109 out of 647 institutions submitting their third-quarter CCC reports.
He appealed to the Acting Defence Minister to consider sanctions to compel institutions to comply with reporting requirements.
The ceremony was attended by senior officials of the Ministry of Defence, the Internal Audit Agency among other stakeholders.