The University of Ghana has received a warning from the Public Accounts Committee of Parliament (PAC) about persistent violations of the necessary procurement procedures in its projects.
On Wednesday, February 14, 2024, at the PAC meeting, Committee Chairman James Klutse Avedzi voiced his dissatisfaction with the university’s ongoing audit citations for procurement violations.
Klutse Avedzi stated that despite the university’s repeated assurances during its appearances before PAC that it would not violate procurement laws, the “crime” continues.
“You have been appearing here, and this issue has been coming up. You always promise that you will not do it again, but you are still committing the same crime.
“Would you want to give me the last assurance? I hope that you will not be cited for (sic) procurement again,” he said.
In response, Prof. Nana Aba Appiah Amfo, Vice-Chancellor of the University of Ghana, stated that the administration of the university is making efforts to guarantee that there are no procurement violations in the future.
According to her, the university’s insufficient procurement resources and organizational structure are the reasons behind the breaches, which are currently being addressed.
“The challenge has to do with the nature of our business, our institution, and also the complexities because we operate in four colleges and the central administration.
“We had an issue with resources also: procurement officers. Now, we have procurement officers in all the colleges. We have improved upon the resource in terms of the procurement officers, decentralizing into the colleges and also the heavy-duty units,” she stated.
The University of Ghana, the University of Professional Studies, Accra, and the University of Media, Arts, and Communication testified before the committee to address discrepancies that the Auditor General discovered in their financial statements.
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The University of Ghana has been warned by the Public Accounts Committee about procurement breaches. #News360#3NewsGH pic.twitter.com/PHKEMobg1f
— #3NewsGH (@3NewsGH) February 15, 2024
