Economic advisor and spokesperson for the Vice President, Dr Gideon Boako, has said the introduction of the e-Travel Card will ensure government recoups monies unapproved for spending from public officials.

Speaking on JoyNews' AM Show on Monday, Dr Boako noted this is possible as the Controller and Accountant-General’s Department (CAGD) will monitor officials' expenses during local and foreign trips.

This, he said, will ensure transparency as public officials will be called to book for making unauthorised expenditures or exceeding their imprest.

"Once you travel, every single expenditure you make, the Controller General will have a track of that. So if you go and use the card to purchase anything you are not allowed to, the Controller will see.

So there is that level of transparency. Once you come back, you go to the accountant in your office, to retire the imprest and Controller will print the bank statement for that particular account and show you, 'when you travelled, you were given 50gh for impound travels, you exceeded that. Instead of picking a yellow cab, you picked a black cab which is more expensive.'

If the Controller General realises that you have to pay some monies back to the government, you will be made to do so," Dr Boako said.

Interacting with host, Benjamin Akakpo, Dr Boako also noted that Ghana's fight against corruption will see far more progress.

According to him, public officials who double their imprest will be unable to do so since every request must be made to the CAGD for approval and, subsequently, disbursement.

"So many things happen within the ministries, departments and agencies. So far as you work for the government, you and the accounting person at your office cannot conspire to take government's money for your advantage.

Somebody may be supposed to travel, and the person is entitled to $500 but ends up getting $1000 and finds a way to pay a percentage to someone.

This time around, every request must be made must be approved by the Controller. Once it is approved, it is the Controller that will disburse the funds to you through the card," he said.

On February 4, Vice President Dr Mahamudu Bawumia launched the e-Travel Card to facilitate the cashless disbursement of travel allowance and other payments for local and foreign trips of public officials.

This means public officials will no longer be provided with physical cash for their imprest when travelling for state duties.