By Emelia B. Addae
Effiduase (E/R), April 02, GNA – The Ghana Audit Service has broken ground on a new Eastern Regional office complex building in Koforidua to address the service’s office challenges in the region.
The office includes a reception area, executive offices, general offices, workshop rooms, archives, a washroom, storage, a server room, a kitchen, a guard room, and ancillaries.
The Eastern Regional Office is part of phase one of the ongoing office constructions in three regions and 16 districts, including Volta, Central, and Eastern regions, as well as the districts of Dodowa, Apam, and Twifo Praso, Asamankese, Bibiani, Atebubu, Bole, and Kintampo.
Mr. Johnson Akuamoah Asiedu, Auditor-General of the Ghana Audit Service, stated at the sod-cutting ceremony on Tuesday that the construction of regional and district audit office buildings would help keep officials away from influences that would undermine their duty.
He stated that many Audit Service offices were in temporary structures, rented or client premises, which frequently jeopardized auditor independence and hampered productivity.
“Any attempt to expand our office allocation to remove our staff from client premises is a very good move and the best direction,” Mr. Asiedu said.
Alternate Krystal Constructions Limited was awarded the contract for the office, with work beginning in January 2022 and expected to be completed in December 2022.
The Ghana Audit Service is an independent government agency that oversees auditing the accounts of the government, regions, and the activities of the government’s Ministries, Departments, Agencies, and Companies.
Mr. Anndt Wiehierm, Country Director for KfW, a German Development Bank that is funding the project, stated that the first phase would be funded with a 13-million Euro loan from the German government.
He added that the second phase would cost 11.5 million Euros and would be built in the six newly created regions and districts.
Once completed, he noted, the project would solve the issue of office space for personnel of the Ghana Audit Service.
In a speech read on behalf of Vice President Mahamudu Bawumia by Mr. Seth Kwame Acheampong, Eastern Regional Minister stated that the government was committed to retooling and providing infrastructure for state institutions to be able to deliver on their mandate.
“Indeed, all sectors, including health, education, and local government, have received their fair share of infrastructure and resources, such as vehicles and other critical pieces of equipment,” he said.
He stated that the Ghana Audit Service could not be overlooked as an important part of the governance structure, which is why regional and district office blocks were built.
He urged the Service to conduct regular capacity-building programs for its management and staff to equip them with emerging trends in economic management and enable them to carry out their functions effectively.
GNA
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