The Audit Committee of the Electoral Commission (EC) of Ghana was inaugurated on 4th October, 2022 by Mr. William Offei-Mensah, Deputy Director-General in charge of Technical and Field Operations of the Internal Audit Agency (IAA) on behalf of the Director-General, Dr. E.O. Osae.
Delivering the opening address, Mrs. Jean Adukwei Mensah, Chairperson of the Electoral Commission said the Audit Committee is an important accountability and transparency mechanism. She added that the Commission is committed to the principle of transparency and accountability in all its operations including the management of the public purse and pledged the full support of the Commission to Committee’s work. She was optimistic that the work of the Committee will help the EC attain the height of financial prudence aimed for.
Mrs. Jean Mensah noted that since the appointment of the Commission in 2018, several mechanisms and policies have been instituted that has assured and guaranteed the prudent use of tax payers’ monies. She briefed members on how these measures helped reduce the cost of election per person from $13 in 2016 to $7.70 in 2020 at a time when the cost of living the world over was high.
The Chairperson commended the Agency and the Director-General for the training received by the Internal Audit Unit of the EC and the gains it has brought so far. She wished the Committee well and prayed that the bells of financial accountability and transparency will ring through the EC.
Members of the Committee are Mr. Richard Akuamoah Asiedu (IAA Rep and Chairman), Mrs. Elisha Asiedu-Amponsah (IAA Rep), Mrs. Benita Kelly Adomako (ICAG Rep). Ms. Adwoa A. Abrefa and Mr. Samuel D. Boadu are representatives of the EC.
Mr. Offei-Mensah in his address said the Audit Committee is the most important Committee set up by the Public Financial Management Act. He spoke on the roles of the Committee and added that members were selected on the principle of expertise, experiential knowledge and ethics. Mr. Offei-Mensah tasked members of the Committee to play the role of advisors on financial and risk management and all relevant matters that come to them on resource governance of the Commission. He added that they are to report any issues they find incriminating.
On the supporting roles of the Committee, the Deputy Director-General tasked members to give all the needed support to the Internal Audit Unit to ensure it delivers on its mandate. He advised the use of the guidelines for Effective Functioning of Audit Committees. He concluded that the IAA will be supportive in ensuring the Committee excels in the task assigned it and prayed members will live up to expectation.
In his closing remarks, Mr. Eric Asare Bossman, Deputy Chairman of the Commission said leadership sees the Audit Committee as the vanguard that will be leading the way and if those leading the way work well, it will make things easier for Management. He added that as an institution, the Commission is guided by transparency, accountability, fairness and integrity. Mr. Bossman continued that the Commission is committed to ensuring that monies of taxpayers are managed prudently. He hoped that issues from 2016 and 2017 are addressed quickly and other subsequent issues important to the Commission are taken up. He thanked members for agreeing to serve on the Committee.
