In order to assess how beneficiary institutions are doing with the programme, the steering committee of the Public Finance Management (PFM) Programme of the European Union (EU) met in Accra.
The purpose of the conference was also to get input on how the initiative was being implemented from the recipient institutions.
The steering committee was established to oversee the programme and make sure that outputs and outcomes were consistent with desired goals.
The meeting was hosted by the Ministry of Finance (MoF) and Ernst & Young, the project's implementing partner. Massimo Mina, the head of cooperation for the EU Delegation in Ghana, Frank Mante, the CEO of the Public Procurement Authority, and the director general of the Internal Audit Agency all attended.
Dr. Eric Oduro Osae and representatives from the World Bank, the Ghana Audit Service, the Parliamentary Services Board, and the German development organisation GIZ are also present.
The meeting focused on the outcomes of the most important ongoing interventions, such as the support provided to the Ghana Audit Service for conducting IT Audits, the Internal Audit Agency for creating an internal audit service, the Public Procurement Authority for creating manuals and tools for Framework Contracting, and the Parliament for creating and implementing PFM training.
Challenges
According to Belinda Cobb, a MoF spokeswoman, the beneficiary institutions all faced the problem of not having enough resources to carry out their responsibilities under the Public Finance Act.
She gave the audience her word that the ministry would keep working to implement programmes that would close the gaps it had found.
She commented on the progress being made in the purchase of equipment for the recipient institutions and assured that the equipment will be supplied as soon as possible.
According to Ms. Cobb, the government will keep giving the support required to guarantee accountability in the public sector through the MoF.
The Public Finance Management is of significant significance to all development partners due to its essential role in achieving development goals, according to the Head of Cooperation of the EU Delegation to Ghana.
He emphasised the EU's commitment to continuing to assist Ghana in improving public finance management in the upcoming years and stated that developing a pertinent and credible public finance management strategy was a requirement for the deployment of budget support from the EU.