Ministry of Finance releases Public Financial Management Compliance League Table

The Ministry of Finance Ghana has launched a comprehensive Public Financial Management (PFM) Compliance League Table, marking a significant step toward enhancing transparency, accountability, and fiscal discipline in the management of public resources. The initiative represents one of the most structured efforts in recent years to systematically assess how well public institutions comply with financial regulations in Ghana.

The introduction of the League Table fulfills a major policy commitment contained in the 2025 Budget Statement, in which government pledged to publish an objective, data-driven, and evidence-based evaluation of compliance levels across public sector institutions. This assessment is grounded in the provisions of the Public Financial Management Act, 2016 (Act 921), its accompanying regulations, and other related legal frameworks that govern the prudent use of public funds.

At its core, the PFM Compliance League Table functions as a performance benchmarking tool, providing a clear and measurable framework for evaluating how ministries, departments, agencies, and other covered entities adhere to established financial management procedures. These procedures include budgeting, expenditure control, financial reporting, procurement processes, and internal auditing systems. By consolidating these indicators into a ranking system, the League Table offers a transparent overview of institutional performance across the public sector.

The Ministry’s approach to ranking institutions is intended to be constructive rather than punitive. By publicly highlighting levels of compliance, the League Table is expected to create a culture of healthy competition among public institutions, encouraging them to strengthen internal systems, improve efficiency, and strictly adhere to financial regulations. In doing so, the initiative aims to embed a results-oriented mindset within the public sector, where institutions are motivated to meet and exceed compliance standards.

A key feature of the League Table is its ability to identify institutions with significant compliance gaps. These gaps may relate to weaknesses in financial controls, delays in reporting, non-adherence to procurement rules, or broader systemic inefficiencies. By bringing these issues to light, the Ministry seeks to ensure that such deficiencies are not overlooked but are instead addressed through targeted corrective actions and stronger enforcement mechanisms.

In line with its statutory mandate, the Ministry, through its PFM Compliance Division, has signaled its intention to take firm and decisive action against persistent non-compliance. This will include direct engagement with underperforming institutions to diagnose the root causes of their challenges and provide technical guidance to strengthen their financial management systems. Such engagements are expected to involve capacity-building initiatives, improved monitoring, and, where necessary, enforcement measures to ensure compliance with the law.

The initiative also reflects a broader commitment by the government to strengthen governance structures and promote responsible stewardship of public funds. Effective public financial management is widely recognized as a cornerstone of economic stability, as it ensures that government resources are allocated efficiently, used for their intended purposes, and safeguarded against misuse or mismanagement.

Furthermore, the publication of the League Table is expected to enhance public confidence in government institutions by providing citizens, civil society organizations, and development partners with greater visibility into how public funds are managed. Increased transparency can also support anti-corruption efforts by making it easier to detect irregularities and hold institutions accountable for their financial practices.

Over time, the Ministry anticipates that the PFM Compliance League Table will evolve into a critical tool for policy evaluation and decision-making. By tracking improvements or declines in compliance levels, policymakers will be better equipped to design reforms, allocate resources more effectively, and address systemic weaknesses within the public financial management framework.

Ultimately, the introduction of the PFM Compliance League Table represents a transformative step toward building a more transparent, accountable, and efficient public sector in Ghana. By reinforcing adherence to the Public Financial Management Act, 2016 (Act 921) and promoting continuous improvement, the initiative is expected to play a pivotal role in ensuring that public resources are managed responsibly and in the best interest of national development.