GOVERNMENT INTRODUCES SOFTWARE TO CHECK BUDGETING SYSTEMS

The Finance Ministry of Ghana has introduced a software to help curb the problem of unrealistic budgeting in undertaking government projects. The software will be used by procurement officers and engineers in the various districts and regions of the country to prepare accurate budgets for infrastructural projects. The ministry and the Public Procurement Authority are introducing this system to ensure accountability and fairness in the use of state resources.

Year in year out, there have been reports and challenges of bloated budget proposals and allocations in the public sector especially in relation to implementing projects such as building roads, schools, managing sewage systems and executing other government projects. The software is also intended to foster transparency and address variations in the cost of public projects.

Stakeholders responsible for implementing the new system including procurement officials and engineers from four regions have been trained so far on how to efficiently use the new software. They are from the Volta, Easter, Greater Accra and Western regions.

Launching the guidelines on the effective use of the software, the Chief Executive of the Public Procurement Authority, Mr Adjenim Boateng Adjei, said notwithstanding the successes in the adoption of several software to improve the public financial management system, the country still faces some challenges of getting accurate estimates for infrastructural projects.

Mr. Adjei explained that a database tool on the cost of the components of standard infrastructural projects is essential to support a bench marking system which will ensure that the estimated total cost of the projects will deliver value for money.