Vice President Bawumia receiving a citation at the launch
THE ERA of cash for travel in the public sector has ended as Vice President Mahamudu Bawumia launches a new digitisation initiative to replace it.
The digitisation intervention will ensure further transparency and accountability in the use of public funds.
The e-Travel Card Project, as it is labeled, is designed to facilitate the cashless disbursement of travel allowance and other payments for local and foreign trips by government and other public officials.
The launch was performed by the Vice President during the closing ceremony of the Annual Conference of the Controller and Accountant General’s Department in Cape Coast on Friday.
The activity was held under the theme: “The role of Controller and Accountant General’s Department in advancing the Digitalisation Agenda of Ghana.”
Explaining the e-Travel Card project, officials of the Controller and Accountant General’s Department said it automates and integrates all the processes from the point of initiation of card issuance requests, funding request from MDAs/entities, through approvals and disbursement to issuing of cards, and provides expenditure tracking and retirement of accountable imprests.
The card is expected to deliver a number of benefits, including elimination of the risk of carrying cash; transparency and ease of accountability; timely retirement of accountable Imprest; and improved monitoring and controls of budgetary allocations for official travels to avoid over spending.
“I am informed that the e-Travel Card portal is to replace all manual systems of managing imprest in the Public Service by delivering personalised cards to every Government Office and employee.
“This initiative is designed to further consolidate the digitalisation agenda of His Excellency, President Nana-Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo which has already delivered a number of successful projects including the Digital Address System, the Ghana Card Project, Mobile Money Interoperability, among others. From the Birth and Death Registry to NHIS, DVLA, Insurance and Passport, these projects are already positively impacting the lives of Ghanaians.
“Our Digitalisation agenda is not only focused on transforming how citizens conduct business with the government sector but also how the public sector in reverse conducts business with enterprises. The e-Travel Card Project seeks to end the era of cash for travel in the public sector.”
Digitalisation and Efficiency
While commending the CAGD for playing a very crucial role in the management of public finances and the accountability process, Vice President Bawumia emphasised the link between enhanced digitalisation and transparency, and urged the government’s chief pay master to continue with efforts to link public sector wages to the Ghana Card, which is increasingly becoming the one true source of proof.
Citing the management of the National Service Scheme, whose adoption of digitalisation processes led to the weeding out of over 14,000 potential fraudsters and saved the state up to GH¢112m, Vice President Bawumia urged other public sector entities to adopt similar measures to fish out those who have been robbing the state.
Government, he said, is committed to cracking down on financial malpractices, wasteful public spending, bottlenecks in the management of public expenditure and the wage bill, and needs all stakeholders to play their part to make it a reality.
“Digitalisation in the accounting field is about incorporating interactive technologies and transforming accounting processes from manual to digital to achieve efficiency, transparency and savings to the public purse.
“I am aware that the Controller and Accountant General’s Department is already taking steps towards the electronic enhancement of its business processes. Key measures include the continuous use of the Ghana Integrated Financial Management Information System (GIFMIS), the upgrading of the Third Party Referencing System (TPRS), the Electronic Salary Payment Voucher (ESPV) system and the E-Payslip system among others.
“I must say that these initiatives are commendable, are in the right direction and are beginning to manifest in many ways,” he noted.
BY Ernest Kofi Adu