Takoradi, Oct 1, GNA - A two-day conference on "Enhancing Better Governance and empowering the Public Sector as a way of achieving world class public service" for District Chief Executive and their Coordinating Directors and Finance Officers and Heads of Department in the Western Region ended at Takoradi on Wednesday. Institute of Management and Entrepreneurship organized the conference to create better understanding of the Financial Administration Act, Public Procurement Act and the Internal Audit Agency Act.

In an address read on his behalf Mr Paul Evans Aidoo, the Western Regional Minister, said it was in pursuance of the ideals of accountability, transparency and good governance that some legislation including the Financial Administration

Act, Public Procurement Act and the Internal Audit Agency Act have been put in place to direct the conduct of affairs in the public sector. He said these enactments sought to streamline the way funds were expended and goods and services are procured in order to ensure judicious and proper use of resources.

Mr Aidoo said, "Abiding by proper financial administration and procurement practices will certainly lead to savings that can make resources available for other developmental programmes". He said sometimes some of the wrong doings that take place occur not because the people involved are inherently corrupt and so do those things deliberately but could stem from sheer ignorance. Mr Aidoo told the participants that "As leaders and managers of your respective institutions and assemblies you are expected to attain a good appreciation of the laws in order to eliminate waste so as to make savings for further development" adding, "I urge you all to collaborate with other oversight institutions to enable you do your work responsibly".

He said government, on its part, would continue to find innovative ways of fighting corruption so that the country's little resources could go far. Reverend Jerry Asiedu Appiah, a director of the Institute of Management and Entrepreneurship, spoke about the level of corruption in the country although there are laws in place to check it. He said one area that there is high level of corruption in the public sector is in the procurement sector adding the public procurement would thoroughly be examined to help check corruption in the sector. Rev Appiah said under the public procurement act every organization and institution is supposed to have a procurement committee and everybody has the responsibility to ensure that procurement committees work according to law.