Auditor-General to introduce e-tracking system to monitor implementation of audit recommendations

Ghana’s Auditor-General, Dr Pamela Graham, has announced plans to introduce an electronic tracking system to monitor the implementation of recommendations contained in the Auditor-General’s reports.

The system, known as the e-tracker, is expected to enable the public to monitor how Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs), as well as other public institutions, are addressing financial irregularities and other infractions identified by the Ghana Audit Service.

Dr Graham disclosed this during a visit to the Ghana Anti-Corruption Coalition (GACC) and other anti-corruption institutions in Accra as part of efforts to strengthen collaboration in the fight against corruption and promote accountability in the public sector.

She said the initiative was aimed at addressing concerns over the limited follow-up actions after the publication of audit reports, stressing that identifying irregularities was not enough without concrete measures to ensure accountability.

According to her, although the reports are scrutinised by Parliament through the Public Accounts Committee (PAC), more needs to be done after the committee's hearings to ensure that the issues identified are properly investigated and resolved.

She noted that institutions such as the Internal Audit Agency and other relevant bodies have important roles to play in ensuring that infractions are not repeated.

Dr Graham said the e-tracker would provide an opportunity for the public to follow the recommendations made by the Audit Service and assess the extent to which public institutions are implementing them.

She added that the system would be given the necessary media attention once it is ready to ensure that citizens are adequately informed about how to access and use it.

The Auditor-General also emphasised the importance of collaboration among anti-corruption institutions, civil society organisations and the media, arguing that the Audit Service alone could not ensure that its findings translate into meaningful action.

“We are just one voice, but if we get everyone collaborating, reading our reports, bringing out what is essential and sharing it with the public, I think that it's a very good way to go,” she said.

Meanwhile, the Executive Secretary of the Ghana Anti-Corruption Coalition, Mrs Beauty Emefa Narteh, has welcomed the Auditor-General's engagement with anti-corruption institutions, describing it as a positive signal of her commitment to accountability and institutional collaboration.

She said the visit was historic, as it marked the first time an Auditor-General had left the office to engage directly with the Coalition.

Mrs Narteh noted that the Ghana Audit Service was a member of the GACC, making the engagement particularly significant in strengthening an existing partnership between the two institutions.

She said the Auditor-General's recognition that the fight against corruption required collective efforts demonstrated a willingness to work with citizens and other stakeholders to strengthen accountability in public institutions.

Mrs Narteh, however, called for the engagement to go beyond courtesy visits, urging the Auditor-General's office to establish structured and periodic meetings with civil society organisations to facilitate information-sharing and identify areas requiring improvement.

She also encouraged other public institutions, particularly those whose work directly affects citizens, to open their doors to collaboration, insisting that no institution could effectively deliver on its mandate in isolation.