{"id":3005,"date":"2026-10-19T19:05:22","date_gmt":"2026-10-19T19:05:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/parliamentnews360.com\/?p=3005"},"modified":"2026-10-19T19:08:33","modified_gmt":"2026-10-19T19:08:33","slug":"pac-chair-sends-deputy-local-government-minister-and-mmdas-away-over-dacf-administrators-absence","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/parliamentnews360.com\/index.php\/pac-chair-sends-deputy-local-government-minister-and-mmdas-away-over-dacf-administrators-absence\/","title":{"rendered":"PAC Chair Sends Minister and MMDAs Away Over DACF Administrator\u2019s Absence"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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By Clement Akoloh \u2013 parliamentnews360.com<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Chairperson of Parliament\u2019s Public Accounts Committee (PAC), Hon. Abena Osei-Asare, has discharged Deputy Minister for Local Government and Rural Development, Hon. Rita Naa Odoley Sowah, and some 30 MMDAs after they appeared before the Committee without the Administrator of the District Assemblies Common Fund (DACF), Michael Harry Yamson.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Chairperson described the Administrator\u2019s absence as an act of disrespect to the Committee, insisting that the hearing could not proceed without all relevant stakeholders present to respond to audit queries.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The incident occurred on Monday, October 19, 2026, during a public hearing to consider the 2025 Auditor-General\u2019s Reports, particularly issues relating to the District Assemblies Responsiveness Factor Grant (RFG) infrastructure projects.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Hon. Osei-Asare explained that the Committee had previously postponed the audit hearing to enable the DACF Administrator to appear alongside officials from the affected Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies (MMDAs).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She expressed disappointment that the Administrator had again failed to attend, despite the Committee\u2019s earlier directive.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe postponed this audit to allow DACF to appear before us with the various districts. The RFG Coordinator came, and we asked certain questions regarding the payment of the money and other issues, but she said she was not in a position to answer them,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Chairperson added that the Committee had subsequently requested the DACF to appear because the institution had also been cited in the Auditor-General\u2019s report.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Deputy Minister attempted to explain the Administrator\u2019s absence, indicating that the official was out of town. However, the explanation failed to convince the Committee Chairperson, who insisted that the hearing could not proceed under the circumstances.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cMr. Administrator, wherever you are, we told you the last time, and you have refused to attend this Committee, forgetting that this Committee has the powers of the High Court and that you can be summoned here,\u201d she warned.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hon. Osei-Asare stressed that the Committee\u2019s concerns extended beyond the individual districts, as the DACF was responsible for funds disbursed to the assemblies under review.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cNobody is bigger than the office he occupies. We are all here working in the best interest of our nation,\u201d she stated.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She further warned that any additional costs incurred by the affected district assemblies as a result of the repeated postponement would have to be borne by the DACF Administrator.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Deputy Minister made another appeal for the Committee to proceed with the hearing, arguing that officials from the various districts were already present at Parliament and ready to respond to the audit queries.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But the Chairperson remained firm, questioning whether the Administrator\u2019s absence from the office had also prevented other officials from attending.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cDid that take everybody in the office out on the trip? This is disrespect and nothing else. The last time the same excuse was given, and we said for him to appear or a respective director to come along so that we could speak to the issues,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The PAC Chairperson contrasted the situation with the performance of the RFG Coordinator, whom she commended for effectively responding to questions relating to her area of responsibility.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYour RFG Coordinator was perfect. She spoke to her side. She took us through her side of this audit,\u201d she noted.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She also cited the Committee\u2019s recent hearings on maternal mortality, which required the participation of several ministries, including the Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to her, the relevant ministers and officials had made themselves available to assist the Committee in examining the issues.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Chairperson subsequently informed the Deputy Minister that the Committee would not proceed with the scheduled hearing and would formally report the matter to the Chief of Staff.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cRespectfully, you also have to understand this Committee. This is our position, and we will not touch on this. Respectfully, you are discharged, and we will make sure we write a formal letter to the Chief of Staff about this behaviour,\u201d she declared.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She explained that PAC hearings were intended to provide a platform for all institutions implicated in the Auditor-General\u2019s reports to account for their actions and respond to questions, rather than merely attend proceedings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Chairperson cited previous hearings involving the Registrar-General and other stakeholders, as well as extensive proceedings on the Ministry of Health\u2019s audit reports, during which ministers and other officials participated for several days.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOne person cannot do otherwise,\u201d she stressed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Following the exchange, Hon. Osei-Asare discharged the Deputy Minister and announced that the Committee would resume its public hearing on Tuesday, October 20, with the Ministry of the Interior, in line with the schedule outlined in the Auditor-General\u2019s report.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Source: parliamentnews360.com<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The Chairperson of Parliament\u2019s Public Accounts Committee (PAC), Hon. Abena Osei-Asare, has discharged Deputy Minister for Local Government and Rural Development, Hon. Rita Naa Odoley Sowah, and some 30 MMDAs after they appeared before the Committee without the Administrator of the District Assemblies Common Fund (DACF), Michael Harry Yamson.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":3006,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[51,1],"tags":[622,1787,1789,1788,1790,561,1791],"class_list":{"0":"post-3005","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-general-news","8":"category-news","9":"tag-district-assemblies-common-fund","10":"tag-hon-abena-osei-asare-2","11":"tag-hon-rita-naa-odoley-sowah","12":"tag-local-government-and-rural-development","13":"tag-michael-harry-yamson-dacf-administrator","14":"tag-public-accounts-committee","15":"tag-responsive-factor-grant-rfg"},"yoast_head":"\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\t\n\n\n\t\n