Ghana does not currently have a comprehensive State Assets Register – a situation Finance Minister, Dr. Cassiel Ato Forson, says poses a major threat to transparency, accountability and sound public financial management.
According to him, the absence of a centralised inventory has created grounds for the misuse, neglect and in some cases, illegal occupation and sale of public properties.
He described the situation as deeply concerning and called for urgent action to reverse the trend.
Dr. Forson was speaking in Accra at the inauguration of a National Asset Management Working Committee, which has been tasked with identifying, accounting for and ensuring the efficient management of all government assets.
The committee, chaired by Deputy Finance Minister Thomas Ampem Nyarko, is expected to spearhead a national effort to take stock of state assets and prevent the acquisition of new ones without first auditing what already exists.
The full membership of the committee comprises key representatives from various ministries and public institutions.
These include Abigail Naa Odoi, Deputy Director at the Office of the President; Edwin Nkrumah, Assistant Chief Estate Manager at the Ministry of Works, Housing and Water Resources; and Dr. Sylvia Adusu, Chief State Attorney at the Attorney-General’s Department.
Others are Mavis Asare Donkor, Director of General Administration at the Ministry of Education; Frank Raji, Director of General Administration at the Ministry of Health; Theophilus Okine, Director of Procurement and Supply Chain at the Ministry of Defence; and Dr. Gideon Asamoah Tetteh, Director of Finance and Administration at the Ministry of the Interior.
Also on the committee are Erya Nutsugah, Director of Policy, Planning, Budget, Monitoring and Evaluation at the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources; Dela Kemevor, Director of General Administration at the Ministry of Local Government, Chieftaincy and Religious Affairs; and Walter A. Adabere, Acting Director of Administration and Deputy Director for Research, Monitoring and Evaluation at the Office of the Administrator-General.
The rest include Dr. Gad Asowoe Akwensivie (Esq.), Acting Administrator of the Office of the Administrator of Stool Lands; Anthony Mallen Ntiador, Acting Deputy Executive Secretary at the Lands Commission; James Bondzie, Principal Estate Manager at the Public Works Department; and Millicent Atuguba, Acting General Manager for Operations at the State Interests and Governance Authority (SIGA).
The committee is expected to work closely with relevant agencies to develop a consolidated database of state assets and recommend systems for sustainable oversight going forward.
