The Internal Audit Committees for the Municipal and District Assemblies in the Upper West Region have been inaugurated and tasked with the responsibility of ensuring proper and efficient financial management processes.

The formation of the committees is mandated by Section 86 of the Public Financial Management Act 2016 (Act 921), which orders all government institutions/agencies to create Audit Committees.

Dr Hafiz Bin Salih, the Upper West Regional Minister, charged the committees to perform their duties with fairness and honesty and avoid witch-hunting officials working in public institutions.

“The committees must be firm, sincere, and honest and work independently at all times in the discharge of their duties,” he said.

He urged members of the committees to equip themselves with the relevant laws and bring their professional knowledge and expertise to impact positively on their work delivery to enhance development.

He gave the assurance that the Regional Coordinating Council would support and cooperate with them to help carry out their duties efficiently.

Mrs Mariam Deladem Ofosu-Dankyi, the Human Resource and Administration Director of the Internal Audit Agency, urged Audit Committees to advise and ensure that the institutions operate an efficient risk management system that provided reasonable assurance of meeting its objectives.

She noted that corporate governance was about establishing processes and capabilities to ensure the reliable achievement of corporate objectives.

She urged the Audit Committees to facilitate, support, persuade, advise and help establish and be highly interested in sound governance processes.

Mrs Ofosu-Dankyi said the Audit Committees were important in the governance of the institutions and required the support of management and all key stakeholders to execute their mandate.

“The Audit Committees are expected to work together with management and all stakeholders of the various institutions as partners in development towards accomplishing efficient management of public funds”, she said.