‘Ghana cannot afford to waste public resources; every cedi has a job’ – Ato Forson

Finance Minister Dr Cassiel Ato Forson has challenged regional and local government authorities to step up efforts to recover lost public funds, tighten financial controls and ensure every cedi collected by the state is properly accounted for. He said waste and mismanagement of public resources directly undermine the delivery of essential services, warning that Ghana could no longer afford to lose money that should be improving the lives of citizens. Dr Ato Forson made the call in Tamale during an engagement on the 2025 Auditor-General’s Report with Regional Ministers, Metropolitan, Municipal and District Chief Executives (MMDCEs).

Held under the theme “Recovering Every Cedi,” the meeting sought to strengthen financial accountability, improve compliance and ensure public funds are used for their approved purposes. “Ladies and gentlemen, Ghana does not have the luxury of wasting public resources. Every cedi already has a job waiting for it,” he said.

He explained that public money should translate into tangible benefits for communities, including medicines for health facilities, classroom repairs, improved markets, drainage works and the maintenance of feeder roads. “So, when a cedi is wasted, left uncollected or poorly spent, somebody, somewhere, loses a service,” he added. The Finance Minister urged public officials to make the recovery and protection of state funds a routine administrative responsibility rather than a commitment made only at official engagements.

“That is why ‘Recovering Every Cedi’ cannot remain just a slogan on today’s banner. It must become a way of working: collect what is due; protect what is collected; spend what is approved; account for what is spent; recover what is owed; and prevent it from happening again,” he stated. Dr Ato Forson stressed that accountability must extend beyond compliance with audit requirements to ensuring that financial irregularities are addressed and weaknesses that expose public resources to losses are corrected.

He called on Regional Ministers, MMDCEs and Coordinating Directors to act on the findings of the Auditor-General, pursue the recovery of funds where necessary and strengthen internal controls to prevent a recurrence of financial lapses. He said responsible management of public resources was essential to improving local infrastructure and ensuring that government spending delivers meaningful result…