Auditor-General’s Department urges media training on audit reports

By Juliet Aguiar DUGBARTEY

The Auditor-General’s Department has called on the media to deepen their understanding of auditing processes and financial reporting to improve the accuracy of reportage on audit findings.

The department expressed concern that some headlines drawn from the Auditor-General’s annual reports are misleading, creating the impression that every irregularity amounts to misappropriation.

Fred Lokko, Assistant Director of Audit and Information Officer at the Ghana Audit Service, explained that terms such as “cash irregularities” do not necessarily imply theft, but may also refer to procedural lapses.

He was speaking at a two-day media training workshop on the 2024 Auditor-General’s Report, organised by the Ghana Anti-Corruption Coalition (GACC) with support from the Hewlett Foundation. About 50 journalists from six regions attended the event under the theme ‘Building evidence for increased accountability in Ghana through a multi-stakeholder accountability initiative’.

Mr. Lokko noted that the Auditor-General produces various reports—including performance, special and institutional audits—each with technical classifications that require careful interpretation. He proposed regular media engagement sessions to clarify audit processes, and urged media houses to consider training journalists in finance and auditing.

“It will not be out of place for at least one or two journalists in a newsroom to have good training in finance or auditing. That way, they can unpack the reports with more accuracy,” he said.

He added that accurate and detailed media coverage could put pressure on institutions cited in audit reports to implement recommendations.

Mrs. Beauty Emefa Narteh, Executive Secretary of GACC, stressed the media’s crucial role in promoting accountability, describing the Auditor-General’s Report as “an accountability tool” that can be turned into impactful stories to protect the public purse.

The post Auditor-General’s Department urges media training on audit reports appeared first on The Business & Financial Times.

Read Full Story