Alternative approach to audit office of Auditor General

Mr Joseph Kofi Adda, Member of Parliament for Navrongo Central on Thursday called on Parliament to consider alternative approach to auditing the books of the office of the Auditor General as provided for in the Constitution.

He said this WAS necessary because the duration of eleven years and work load to be undertaken by the independent external auditor to audit the books was enormous and added that he was worried that the backlog of work could not be completed within the time frame envisaged.Mr Adda was contributing to the debate on a Motion for the adoption of the report of the Parliamentary Special Adhoc Committee on the appointment of an Auditor to audit the accounts of the Office of the Auditor General.

The Member expressed fears that one firm alone could not do the job and achieve quality and objective work of auditing the books of all public accounts of Ghana, public offices including the Courts, central and local Government administration , the universities and public institutions within the time frame of six months.

The Committee recommended the approval of the appointment of Messrs Opoku, Andoh and Company as the auditing firm to audit the Office of the Auditor General from January 1993 to December 2002.Mr Adda, therefore, suggested that the two firms of Egala, Atitso and Associates and Opoku, Andoh and company that submitted their proposals to the Committee should be made to undertake joint auditing of the Office of the Auditor General and that there should be re-negotiation of the financial proposals (fees).

Mr Jacob Arthur, NDC- Mfantsiman West and a member of the three-member Committee said the Ghana Institute of Chartered Accountants submitted 26 names of auditing firms to the Committee and six of them were short listed but only the two submitted their proposals.

He said there was very little to choose between the two auditing firms and as such the Committee had to consider the financial requirement, proposals made and the time frame submitted by the two firms to undertake the work before it came to its decision.