The ineffective oversight of private security firms in the nation by the Interior Ministry has drawn criticism from the Public Accounts Committee (PAC).
More than 440 businesses failed to renew their licenses, resulting in a financial loss of almost GH¢800,000. This is according to the 2022 Auditor General’s report.
The lives of innocent people who use these corporations’ services could be in peril, according to PAC Chairman James Klutse Avedzi.
“It also shows that the failure on your part to monitor these security companies; a private security company could be operating illegally, and the citizens will think that these people have legal licenses to operate, yet they don’t.
“So there’s a big challenge there; it’s a security matter. Companies operating illegally who have not renewed their licenses with you, but they operate.
“A lot of people engage these private security companies to guard their houses. If you are failing to monitor them, if it’s now being shown that most of them don’t renew their licenses, then we have a big challenge,” he said.
There are continuous talks concerning procurement procedure violations during the Public Accounts Committee hearings.
There is criticism directed at the Ghana Immigration Service administration for modifying two contracts without appropriate authority, which led to a deviation of more than four million cedis.
MP Yusif Sulemana of Bole Bamboi voiced his worries and emphasized the significance of abiding by the Public Procurement Act.
He questioned if an institution breaking the law could be spared punishment. Sulemana also brought attention to discrepancies in the Auditor General’s recommendations for individuals listed in the yearly reports.
The Inspector General recommended that GIS apply for retroactive approval of a procurement error that cost GH¢4 million. Sulemana suggested tougher sanctions for these kinds of procurement transgressions.