Finance Ministry to publish league table ranking public institutions on budget compliance

The Ministry of Finance will soon begin publishing a Compliance League Table that ranks ministries, departments, and agencies based on how well they follow the newly amended Public Financial Management (PFM) Act, 2025.

This was announced by the Minister for Finance, Dr Cassiel Ato Forson, in a Facebook post dated April 9, 2025.

The announcement followed a meeting with the World Bank Africa team, led by Vice President Ousmane Diagana, after the conclusion of the National Economic Dialogue, which was supported by the World Bank.

Dr Forson said the new table will help address fiscal indiscipline within the public sector, especially the practice of awarding contracts without the legally required commencement certificates.

He said such actions contribute to waste and frequent budget overruns.

“We are determined to ensure that every programme we implement delivers maximum efficiency and impact,” Dr Forson said.

Under the revised PFM Act, the Ministry of Finance now has exclusive powers to issue commencement authorisations.

This means no public body can begin a new project or programme without first obtaining financial clearance from the Ministry.

To track compliance, Dr Forson revealed that a Compliance Desk is being set up at the Ministry.

It will monitor how public institutions follow the law and will regularly release the Compliance League Table.

Institutions that continue to ignore the rules will face sanctions, he warned.

Dr Forson explained that the move is aimed at improving financial discipline and ensuring that public resources are managed more responsibly.

Mr Diagana, in his remarks, welcomed the reforms and congratulated Dr Forson on his appointment.

He described Ghana as a regional example in fiscal management and reaffirmed the World Bank’s continued partnership with the country.

The Compliance Desk is expected to begin work in the coming weeks.