Finance Minister meets MDAs

By: Fred Yaw Sarpong

Mr. Ken Ofori-Atta, the Minister of Finance has met with the heads of various Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) to assess their policies for the year.

The meeting was also to ensure that there is consistency with the government’s medium term policy strategy.

The Daily Express learnt that the meeting formed part of the Ministry of Finance and the Economic Management Team process of preparing the 2017 budget and Economic Policy of Government.

The meeting focused on auditing the fiscal accounts and provides a credible basis for economic policy going forward. “Our commitment is to restore fiscal policy credibility and transparency as well as policy clarity,” the minister noted.

According to the Ministry, during the assessment and audit process, they gathered a lot of information from the MDAs which included some unbudgeted projects and commitments involving more than GHc6 billion. “We will have to validate them as part of the budget processes,” the minister pointed out.

He also mentioned that “we will have a better sense of the numbers before the budget, and have a team assembled to complete our forensic audit to confirm the validity of these expenses and that value for money was obtained at all times.”

Mr. Ofori-Atta said his outfit will rationalise public expenditures, strengthen contract management, and realign statutory funds to priority projects.

“We are committed to ensuring fiscal discipline and good economic governance, focusing on transparent and accountable use of public resources in accordance with the new Public Financial Management law,” he stated.

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