GIFMIS will ensure Transparency in Public Finance Management - Deputy Project Director

Accra, Nov. 15, GNA - The commitment to ensure transparency and accountability in the management of public finance in the country under the ongoing Public Financial Reform (PFR) is unwavering, Mr Mac–Effort Adadey, Deputy Project Director of Ghana Integrated Financial Management System (GIFMIS) has said.

This is because the process to implement GIFMIS has been going on since 2010 to migrate public sector financial transactions from manual to a single electronic platform.

The project is being implemented under the auspices of the Controller and Accountants General Department (CAGD) as part of the e-Ghana project with pooled funding from the World Bank, EU, UK AID and DANIDA.

Mr Adadey made these remarks when he spoke at a workshop on the reforms for 50 participants, including Regional Coordinating Directors, Regional Heads of Departments, Regional Accountants, auditors and other stakeholders in the Central Region on Tuesday.

He explained that under the GIFMIS project, five core financial tools that were used in public finance transactions, namely Accounts Receivable, Accounts Payable, General Ledger, Purchasing and Cash Management, had all been integrated into one electronic platform.

He said the GIFMIS system had been deployed and was being used by the head offices of the various Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) in Accra and that the workshop formed part of a nationwide regional sensitization and training programme to introduce the new system to the MDAs in the regions.

He said the project's objective was to ensure that by June 2014, all MDAs and Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies (MMDAs) would have been hooked onto the GIFMIS system and working with the new tools.

He said such a feat will also ensure efficient, reliable and the timely production of management reports for informed decision-making, among other benefits.

Mr. Samuel Duodu, Central Regional Director of the Controller and Accountant-General's Department, urged all stakeholders to develop a strong sense of commitment and ownership of the project.

He said stakeholders should be guided by the positive experiences of earlier initiatives like the Budget and Public Expenditure Management System (BPEMS) to ensure the success of GIFMIS.

Nana Agyekum Dwamena, Cultural Change and Process Management Team Leader (CCPMT) of the GIFMIS Project, told workshop participants that their acceptance of the GIFMIS working tools was not optional but an absolute necessity if they were to remain relevant at the work place.

He said governments around the world were investing a great deal of resources into streamlining and improving public financial management, and that Ghana being part of the global village could not afford to continue using old systems that were inimical to the country's development.

A similar workshop was also organised in Takoradi for 90 stakeholders in the Western Region.

Mr. Kwame Boadi Danso, Western Regional Director of the Controller and Accountant General's Department urged the participants to embrace the tools being introduced under the Ghana Integrated Financial Management Information Systems to enhance service delivery and efficiency in the Region.

GNA