President John Mahama has sworn in Dr Pamela Parry Graham as Ghana’s first female Auditor-General.
Dr Graham takes over from Johnson Akuamoah Asiedu, who has retired from the position after serving as Auditor-General.
Speaking at the swearing-in ceremony at the Jubilee House on Thursday, July 2, President Mahama described the occasion as more than a ceremonial event but a reaffirmation of the country’s collective commitment to the Constitution, the rule of law and the principles of transparency, accountability and sound public financial management.
“Dr Graham, your appointment comes at a time when the expectations of our citizens for transparency and accountability are at an all-time high. Ghanaians rightly expect every public institution to demonstrate value for money, prudent stewardship of national resources and the highest standards of integrity,” President Mahama said.
He expressed confidence in Dr Graham’s ability to discharge her constitutional mandate with competence, impartiality, courage and fidelity to the laws of the Republic, saying her distinguished professional career had prepared her well for the responsibility she was assuming.
The President charged the new Auditor-General to serve the Constitution and the people of Ghana rather than any government, political party or individual, noting that the independence of the office was fundamental to the credibility of the country’s governance system and had to be exercised responsibly, professionally and fairly at all times.
“As you assume office today, you do so not in service to any government, political party or individual, but in service to the Constitution and the people of Ghana,” President Mahama stated.
He told Dr Graham that her reports had to command public confidence because they were objective, balanced and beyond reproach, and that she had to be guided solely by facts, evidence and the law in every decision she made.
President Mahama said the Office of the Auditor-General occupied a central place in the national development agenda, linking the work of the office directly to the success of the administration’s economic recovery programmes, including the 24-Hour Economy, accelerated export development, social investments and infrastructure expansion.
He said all of those programmes depended on public resources being managed with integrity, efficiency and discipline.
He directed every Ministry, Department and Agency, every Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assembly, every state-owned enterprise and every public official to recognise that accountability was not optional but a constitutional obligation, and called on all public institutions to cooperate fully with the Auditor-General and ensure the timely implementation of audit recommendations.
The President said audit reports should never be viewed merely as statutory documents laid before Parliament but as practical management tools for improving governance, strengthening internal controls, eliminating waste and enhancing the efficiency of public administration.
He committed to strengthening the Ghana Audit Service through investments in modern audit technologies, digital systems, capacity building and institutional reforms that would enable the service to discharge its constitutional mandate effectively in a rapidly changing public financial management environment.
President Mahama also paid tribute to the outgoing Auditor-General, thanking him on behalf of the government and people of Ghana for his dedicated service and invaluable contribution to strengthening public accountability institutions, and wishing him good health and success in his future endeavours.
He closed with a reminder that the strength of every democracy was measured not only by those who govern but by the institutions that held governments accountable, and that the constitutional transition marked a moment to recommit to leaving behind institutions that were stronger, more transparent and more effective than those inherited.
“Today’s constitutional transition reminds us that institutions endure beyond individuals. Our responsibility is to leave behind institutions that are stronger, more transparent and more effective than we inherited,” President Mahama said.
Dr Pamela Graham is the 11th Auditor General of the Republic of Ghana.