Finance Ministry to Launch Compliance Desk Under Amended PFM Act—-Finance Minister Dr. Cassiel Ato Forson has announced plans to set up a dedicated Compliance Desk at the Ministry of Finance to strengthen enforcement of the revised Public Financial Management (PFM) Act, 2025.
The Minister said this during a high-level meeting with the World Bank Africa team led by Vice President Ousmane Diagana. Dr. Forson highlighted the urgent need to address growing concerns over fiscal indiscipline, particularly among covered entities that continue to award contracts without securing the mandatory commencement certificates. Such actions, he noted, have resulted in inefficiencies and serious gaps in budget execution.
To counter these challenges, amendments to the PFM Act now grant the Ministry the authority to issue commencement authorisations, possibly ushering in a new era of fiscal oversight.
As part of these reforms, the Ministry is setting up a Compliance Desk to monitor how ministries, departments, and other covered institutions align with the updated financial regulations. A key feature of the Desk will be a Compliance League Table, which will publicly rank entities based on their adherence to the Act.
Dr. Forson warned that repeated non-compliance would not go unpunished, adding that sanctions would be applied as necessary to uphold financial discipline.
“We are committed to ensuring that every government programme delivers maximum efficiency and value, that’s how we build a disciplined and prosperous Ghana,” he said.
World Bank Vice President Diagana congratulated Dr. Forson on his appointment and applauded Ghana’s commitment to ongoing fiscal reforms. He reaffirmed the Bank’s continued partnership, describing Ghana as a “beacon of stability and progress” in the region.
Meanwhile, the Compliance Desk is expected to become operational in the coming weeks.
The revised Public Financial Management (PFM) Act, 2025 refers to the updated legal framework that governs how public funds are managed, spent, and accounted for in Ghana. It builds on the original PFM Act, 2016 (Act 921), which was enacted to strengthen fiscal discipline, transparency, and accountability across government institutions.
