Mahama says government is reviewing public finance systems to curb corruption

Pinned summary · as of 16:36

President John Dramani Mahama told an audience in New York that his government is overhauling how public money is governed and spent, with the aim of tightening accountability and cutting corruption. He was addressing the Accra Reset event held alongside the 81st United Nations General Assembly.

What we know

• President Mahama said reform of governance systems remains a central priority for his government, covering accountability, the fight against corruption and the efficient use of public resources.
• He said officials are examining public-sector systems and financial arrangements to make them more transparent and to ensure money reaches the purposes it was meant for.
• Mr Mahama spoke at the Accra Reset event in New York, which took place on the margins of the 81st UN General Assembly. Nkonkonsa gave its theme as "Full Circle: Making Global Development Work Again".
• The President argued that his administration is tackling corruption and getting more value from public resources than was the case before.
• Citing early moves after taking office, he said: "One of the first steps I took was to uncap the National Health Insurance." He said the earlier government's cap on statutory funds had limited money available to the health insurance scheme and other statutory bodies.

What's disputed / unconfirmed

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  Mr Mahama alleged that under the previous government, receipts beyond the prescribed percentage of the budget were paid into the Consolidated Fund and later spent mostly on programmes meant to buy political support and improve its election chances. This is his accusation alone; no response from the former government is reported.
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  Nkonkonsa reported that the Accra Reset event brought stakeholders together on themes of global development, governance and financing, including reshaping how development systems work; Onua Online did not describe the event's wider purpose.

Why it matters for Ghana

How statutory funds are handled affects the money that reaches the National Health Insurance Scheme, which many Ghanaian families rely on to pay for care. The President's account of past budget practice sets up a political argument over who managed public money better, and his promise of more transparent public finances will be judged by whether funds reach the purposes they were set aside for.