The Minister of Finance, Dr Cassiel Ato Forson, has charged public office holders to account for every cedi placed in their custody, saying systems must be strengthened to stop the annual cycle of misappropriation and recovery of state funds.
He was speaking at a forum on the Auditor-General’s Report attended by regional ministers and Metropolitan, Municipal and District Chief Executives (MMDCEs).
Dr Forson reminded officials that state resources are not personal property but a public trust that must be managed in the interest of Ghanaians.
“Public money does not belong to government officials; we are only the custodians of those resources,” he said, stressing that the money belongs to the people of Ghana.
He called for full recovery of all misapplied funds and strict accountability for every cedi entrusted to public officers.
“Let us recover every cedi that is recoverable. Let us account for every cedi that is entrusted to us as public officials,” he stated.
The Finance Minister added that beyond retrieving lost funds, government must fix the weaknesses that allow financial infractions to recur.
“Let us build systems where recovery becomes the exception, not an annual ritual,” he said.
