ELECTION 2024: Deploy auditors as electoral officers

• Justice Nana Barima Yaw Kodie Oppong addressing
participants in the conference Photo: Ebo Gorman

A Justice of the Court of Appeal, Nana Barima Yaw Kodie Oppong, the Manwerehene of Akyem Abuakwa, has suggested that auditors are deployed as electoral officials for the December 7, 2024 polls.

He is of the conviction that if that was done, there would be higher accuracy at all levels of result collation so as to uphold the integrity of the results.

“Auditors are best placed to ensure the integrity of our electoral process. Auditors need not fold their arms and wait for political actors to consult or hire them before they take an active part in the electoral process.

“It is therefore not out of place for your association to inform the Electoral Commission that you are willing and ready to be deployed to all the constituencies to assist in the entire electoral process especially the collation,” he said.

Nana Barima Yaw Kodie Oppong made the call in Accra yesterday when he addressed the 2024 Annual Internal Audit Conference as the Special Guest.

The conference, on the theme: ‘Consolidating democratic and accountable governance in Ghana: The role of the Internal Auditor’, brought together internal auditors from across state institutions and other stakeholders to dilate on successes of the audit year as well as challenges.

According to Nana Barima Yaw Kodie Oppong, the time for auditors to sit on the fence whilst electoral figures continue to be contentious were over as their expertise must be put to use.

Deploying the auditors, he said was of paramount importance as elections are at the core of the practice of democratic governance and in line with the theme of the conference.

Nana Barima Yaw Kodie Oppong said “If your members play this role perfectly, parties involved especially those who will not be successful will have good reason to accept the outcome graciously, convinced that the election was free and fair”.

He asked auditors to uphold their standards, give their auditees the listening ear, and urged a national approach to improve on the conditions of service for auditors.

The Director-General of the Internal Audit Agency (IAA), Dr Eric Oduro Osae, attributed the GH¢5 billion reduction in financial irregularities in public institutions as reported by the Auditor-General in his report for 2023 to the diligence of internal auditors.

Despite this achievement, Dr Osae said more needed to be done especially in technical universities, which recorded a 117 per cent increment in irregularities and district assemblies.

Reiterating the need for the amendment of the Internal Audit Agency Act, Dr Osae said the savings would be higher if the Act was amended to place internal auditors under the Agency and giving them independence to discharge their duties in the process.

He revealed that a league table for excellence in auditing across institution, including arms of government, accountability institutions and constitutional bodies to encourage the strict application of standards in auditing was in the offing.

The Board Chairman of the IAA, Joseph Winful, called on Ghanaians to see the protection of the public purse as a cardinal point of democracy “because democracy can only grow in an atmosphere of accountability.”

BY JULIUS YAO PETETSI