The Assistant Director of Audit at the Ghana Audit Service, Frederick Loko, has called on journalists to strengthen their understanding of the Auditor-General’s mandate and reports to ensure accurate and impactful reporting.

He said this would help eliminate misleading headlines and enhance public comprehension of audit findings.

Speaking at a media training workshop on the 2024 Auditor-General’s Report, organised in collaboration with the Ghana Anti-Corruption Coalition (GACC) on August 13, 2025 Loko, who also serves as the Service’s Information Officer under the Right to Information (RTI) Act emphasised that the engagement sought to bridge the gap between audit work and media coverage.

“Sometimes when you look at the headline and then you look at the body of the report, you see that there’s a disconnect, we want the general public to get the true meaning of what the Auditor-General’s report is conveying,” he said.

He explained that the Auditor-General’s mandate, as outlined in Article 187 of the Constitution and the Audit Service Act, is limited to reporting financial misstatements and making recommendations and not prosecuting offenders.

Prosecution, he said, is handled by agencies such as the Attorney-General’s Department and the Economic and Organised Crime Office (EOCO

GACC Executive Secretary, Beauty Emefa Nartey, said the training was designed to encourage journalists not only to report on the Auditor-General’s findings when the report is released but also to follow up with investigative work to uncover deeper issues.

She cited past examples where journalists’ independent investigations revealed connections and conflicts of interest not detailed in the report.

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“We realised that after the initial headlines, there’s less reporting on follow-ups or investigative pieces.

“When you do your own investigations, it helps advocacy efforts and strengthens accountability,” she said.

Assistant Auditor-General in charge of the Information Systems Audit Unit, Patrick Neequaye, also urged the media to regularly engage institutions cited in audit reports, question them on corrective actions and keep the public informed about progress.

“The public financial management landscape still needs improvement,” he stated. “We expect the media to continue following up with institutions named in the reports to track implementation of recommendations.”

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