Internal Audit Agency organises seminar for journalists

04-16-08
Page 31

A seminar to inform and build the knowledge of media practitioners on the role of the Internal Audit Agency in improving accountability and performance in the public sector opened in Accra yesterday with a call on media practitioners to act as agents in seeking the truth and uncovering falsehood.
The President of the Ghana Journalists Association (GJA), Mr Ransford Tetteh, who made the call, noted that the media had a crucial role to play in the fight against corruption by giving people access to balanced information.
“The role of the media is, therefore, critical in promoting good governance and controlling corruption. They do not only raise public awareness of corruption but also investigate and report incidents of corruption,” he said.
The seminar, which was organised by the Internal Audit Agency, also aimed at establishing a level of awareness among media personnel of the internal audit practice in ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs), as well as metropolitan, municipal and district assemblies (MMDAs).
Mr Tetteh said the effectiveness of the media depended on their access to information and freedom of expression, as well as a professional and ethical cadre of investigative journalists, saying that aggressive and independent journalism was one of the most effective forces that acted against corrupt practices.
He said an independent and liberal judicial system was an important component which ensured media freedom to promote good governance and accountability.
He noted that a judicial system that was too repressive severely limited media freedom and indicated that the fear of having to pay huge amounts of money as a result of libel suits might cause the media not to risk publishing certain matters, even though they might be in the public interest.
“The GJA calls for the setting up of a special fund to assist media houses that are dragged to court out of the desire to serve the public interest and the common good,” he said.
Mr Tetteh said the government and the larger society should accept the watchdog role of the media in promoting public accountability and good governance and “give them the necessary protection to carry out this onerous responsibility at all times”.
The Director-General of the Internal Audit Agency, Mr Patrick Numo, said the agency was established under Act 658 of 2003 to primarily ensure financial discipline and accountability in the public sector.
The media, he said, had played and would continue to play a vital role in the promotion of good governance in the country. It was, therefore, necessary for the to fully understand the work of the agency to enhance the performance of their agenda setting and watchdog roles.
“The Internal Audit Agency considers the media as a very important stakeholder and partner in the development of our nation and in the attainment of the goals and objectives of the agency. It is for this reason, among others, that the agency found it necessary to host this workshop,” he emphasised.
He said it was important to gather views, ideas and suggestions from the media on the most effective and efficient ways of propagating the essence of the internal audit practice to the various publics.