The Civil and Local Government Staff Association, Ghana (CLOGSAG) has rejected a proposal to make the Controller and Accountant-General’s Department (CAGD) an independent institution separate from the Ministry of Finance (Ghana).
The association said such a move could weaken coordination in the management of public finances and disrupt the effective implementation of government fiscal policies. Addressing a press conference in Accra, the Executive Secretary of CLOGSAG, Isaac Bampoe Addo, said the CAGD plays a critical role in executing government accounting functions, controlling payments and managing treasury operations on behalf of the state.
According to him, the department currently serves as an implementing arm of the Finance Ministry and should therefore remain under its administrative oversight. He argued that converting the CAGD into an independent constitutional body could create institutional confusion and affect the smooth management of government financial operations.
Mr Bampoe Addo also expressed concern that the proposal could introduce unnecessary bureaucracy and potentially delay the processing of salaries and other public sector payments.
A member of CLOGSAG’s internal review committee, Daniel Appiah, said the proposal by the Constitution Review Committee lacked sufficient justification. He maintained that separating the department from the Finance Ministry could result in administrative duplication and undermine efficient public financial management.
Instead of making the CAGD independent, the association proposed the establishment of an Independent Fiscal Responsibility Council entrenched in the Constitution to strengthen oversight of government spending and promote fiscal discipline.
CLOGSAG explained that creating such a body through legislation alone could make it vulnerable to suspension in times of crisis, citing the temporary suspension of the Fiscal Responsibility Act (Ghana) during the COVID-19 period.
The association also raised concerns about other recommendations by the Constitution Review Committee, including proposals that would grant the Council of State (Ghana) powers to recruit, vet or make binding nominations for appointments to certain constitutional offices and senior public service positions.
According to CLOGSAG, such responsibilities should remain with the governing councils of the respective services in consultation with the Public Services Commission (Ghana) to ensure merit-based appointments and maintain institutional stability.
While acknowledging the efforts of the Constitution Review Committee, the association urged it to reconsider proposals that could affect the efficiency and coordination of Ghana’s public service system.