The Northern Region has inaugurated Audit Committees for the Regional Coordinating Council (RCC) and Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies (MMDAs), with a call for stronger oversight to ensure public resources are properly managed and used for their intended purposes.
The committees, inaugurated in Tamale on Wednesday, August 26, 2026, are expected to strengthen internal controls, monitor the implementation of audit recommendations and help address financial and operational weaknesses within the region’s local governance institutions.
The exercise, organised by the Internal Audit Agency (IAA), forms part of a nationwide mass inauguration of Audit Committees for RCCs and MMDAs.
Speaking on behalf of the IAA Director-General, Mr Conrad Z. D. Dumbah, an Agency representative, Mr Alhassan Fuseini, said the committees represented more than a statutory requirement, describing them as a critical mechanism for deepening accountability, transparency and good governance at the local level.
He said MMDAs, as the government institutions closest to citizens, managed significant public resources and were responsible for delivering essential services and development programmes.
He therefore charged the committees to provide effective oversight of internal audit activities, review audit reports, track the implementation of recommendations and ensure weaknesses in internal controls were addressed before they affected institutional performance.
Mr Fuseini stressed that the committees should not be viewed as adversaries of management but as partners in good governance, while cautioning members to maintain independence, objectivity, integrity and professionalism in the discharge of their duties.
Speaking on behalf of the Northern Regional Minister, Hon. Ali Adolf John, the Chief Director of the Northern Regional Coordinating Council, Mr Sumaila Ewuntomah Abudu, said effective audit systems were essential to protecting public resources and ensuring value for money.
He said the establishment of the committees was in line with Section 86 of the Public Financial Management Act, 2016 (Act 921), which requires covered entities to establish Audit Committees.
Mr Abudu said the committees would, among other responsibilities, pursue the implementation of recommendations contained in internal audit reports, the Auditor-General’s Management Letters and Parliament’s decisions on Auditor-General’s reports.
They would also review internal audit work plans, internal audit charters and risk assessment reports, including fiscal risk assessments, while ensuring Internal Auditors had adequate access to the committees.
The Chief Director said the committees were expected to advise management on sound and transparent financial management practices and help establish effective organisation-wide internal controls.
He warned that accountability must not be treated as an activity undertaken only when audits were conducted, but should become part of the everyday culture of RCCs and MMDAs.
“Accountability should not be treated as an occasional exercise undertaken only when an audit is conducted,” he said, urging management teams to regard audit findings and recommendations as instruments for improving institutional performance.
Mr Abudu also called on MMDCEs, Coordinating Directors, Finance Officers, Internal Auditors and Heads of Departments to provide the committees with the cooperation and support required to function effectively.
He said the effectiveness of Ghana’s decentralisation system depended largely on the ability of local institutions to manage public resources efficiently and translate them into tangible development outcomes.
He urged the newly appointed committee members to exercise courage, independence and integrity in following up on identified weaknesses and ensuring timely implementation of corrective measures.
The members will undergo orientation to strengthen their understanding of their statutory responsibilities and equip them to effectively perform their oversight functions.
Mr Abudu assured the committees of the Regional Minister’s support and reiterated the Regional Coordinating Council’s commitment to promoting accountability, transparency, integrity and value for money across the region.
He described the inauguration as the beginning of a continuous process of strengthening institutional systems, managing risks, correcting weaknesses and improving public service delivery.
The Audit Committees were subsequently declared duly inaugurated.
Source: www.kumasimail.com
