Accountant General’s Department Gets New Mandate to Oversee Government Finances

The Accountant General’s Department has been entrusted with new responsibilities to supervise and direct the technical and professional functions of the department. These responsibilities include establishing proper systems of accounting in each government department.

Supervising Public Revenue and Expenditure

According to the Financial Regulations, 2016, the Accountant General is required to:

• Supervise the prompt collection of all public revenue
• Ensure that all revenue or other receipts are properly recorded under the appropriate heads of accounts, sub-heads, and items
• Verify that all expenditure is charged under the proper heads of accounts, sub-heads, and items

Fraud Prevention and Transparency

The Accountant General will also be responsible for:

• Supervising Accounting Officers entrusted with the receipt and expenditure of public money
• Taking precautions against the occurrence of fraud, embezzlement or carelessness
• Maintaining frequent checks, including surprise inspections, to ensure that all government transactions are transparent and accountable

Financial Record Keeping and Reporting

The department is required to:

• Prepare timely accounts for submission to the Auditor General
• Submit financial statements and returns as laid down by statues and regulations from time to time
• Maintain various records, including:
  • Principal and subsidiary journals, ledgers, and registers
  • Revenue earning book register
  • Safes and keys
  • Accountable financial stationery
  • Stamp duty
  • Write-offs
  • All stocks, shares, debentures and other securities held by the government
  • Audit trails
  • Data backups

Consolidation of Accounts and Reconciliation

The department will also be responsible for:

• Consolidating and compiling monthly accounts received from all departments, including the Development Fund and Special Fund
• Submitting reconciled accounts to the Auditor General within six months after the end of the financial year

Transparency and Accountability Measures

The Financial Regulations have introduced new measures to ensure transparency and accountability in government finances, including:

• Public officers being required to produce records of transactions for inspection or audit purposes when called upon by the Accountant General, Auditor-General, or Director General of Internal Audit
• Public officers handing over financial and accounting records to their relieving officer upon transfer, leave, or relief from duty

Vote Controllers’ New Responsibilities

The Vote Controllers have been given new responsibilities to:

• Operate and manage approved accounting systems
• Ensure the efficient and effective use of appropriations under departmental control
• Ensure due and proper collection of government revenue collectable by their departments

These new regulations aim to strengthen financial management in the public sector and ensure transparency, accountability, and good governance.