Ashanti Region- The Auditor General’s recent report on the financial accounts of District Assemblies for the year ended December 31, 2024, has revealed significant revenue leakages involving 52 revenue collectors across five assemblies.
Collectively, these collectors failed to account for GH¢249,059 out of a total GH¢447,931 collected, raising serious concerns over financial management and oversight.
The affected District Assemblies are Ahafo Ano South East, Ahafo Ano South West, Afigya Kwabre South, Asante Akim South, and Old Tafo Municipal.
Breakdown of Accountability Gaps by Assembly
- Ahafo Ano South East
• Defaulters: 22
• Revenue Collected: GH¢207,238
• Accounted For: GH¢161,134
• Unaccounted: GH¢46,104 - Ahafo Ano South West
• Defaulters: 6
• Revenue Collected: GH¢7,261
• Accounted For: GH¢6,478
• Unaccounted: GH¢783 - Afigya Kwabre South
• Defaulters: 1
• Revenue Collected: GH¢156,150
• Accounted For: GH¢31,200
• Unaccounted: GH¢124,950 - Asante Akim South
• Defaulters: 21
• Revenue Collected: GH¢33,359
• Accounted For: Nil
• Unaccounted: GH¢33,359
- Old Tafo municipality
• Defaulters: 2
• Revenue Collected: GH¢43,923
• Accounted For: GH¢60
• Unaccounted: GH¢43,863
The Audit Service highlighted that failure to properly account for Government Collection Receipts (GCRs) and revenue collections creates opportunities for misappropriation, undermining the Assemblies’ ability to fund their operations effectively.
According to the audit service, the shortfall in revenue forces these local governments to depend heavily on the District Assemblies Common Fund (DACF) to cover administrative expenses, consequently delaying or abandoning essential development projects vital for their communities
Recommendations and Next Steps
In response, the Auditor General has urged the management teams of the implicated Assemblies to:
• Retrieve all GCR booklets from revenue collectors immediately.
• Ensure full accountability for all revenue collections to plug existing gaps.
• Calculate average revenue per GCR booklet and recover any discrepancies from the collectors.
• Recover the entire unaccounted amount of GH¢249,059 from defaulting revenue collectors.
• In cases where revenue collectors fail to refund missing amounts, hold Coordinating Directors, Finance Officers, and Revenue Superintendents personally liable for repayment into designated Internally Generated Fund (IGF) accounts.
• Impose disciplinary sanctions on defaulting collectors.
• Strengthen supervisory and monitoring mechanisms within the Assemblies to prevent recurrence of such breaches in revenue management.
This report throws light on persistent challenges in local government financial governance and underscores the need for stringent controls and accountability mechanisms to safeguard public resources and ensure sustainable community development.
Source: www. Kumasimail/Kwadwo Owusu
