Finance Minister Dr Cassiel Ato Forson has urged public officials to account for every cedi entrusted to them and strengthen financial management systems to prevent the recurring loss of public funds.

He said efforts to recover misappropriated or unaccounted-for public resources should not become an annual ritual, stressing the need for systems that prevent financial irregularities in the first place.

Dr Ato Forson made the remarks during an engagement on the Auditor-General’s Report attended by regional ministers and metropolitan, municipal and district chief executives (MMDCEs).

He reminded public officials that they were custodians, not owners, of state resources and had a responsibility to manage them in the interest of the Ghanaian people.

“Public money does not belong to government officials; we are only the custodians of those resources,” he said, emphasising that the funds belonged to the people of Ghana.

The Finance Minister called on the officials to ensure that all recoverable public funds were retrieved and that every cedi placed in their care was properly accounted for.

“Let us recover every cedi that is recoverable. Let us account for every cedi that is entrusted to us as public officials,” he said.

Dr Ato Forson, however, stressed that accountability should go beyond recovering funds after financial irregularities had occurred.

He urged public institutions to strengthen their financial management and oversight mechanisms to safeguard public resources and minimise the recurrence of such cases.

“Let us build systems where recovery becomes the exception, not an annual ritual,” he said.