Accra, March 29, GNA - Staff of the Controller and Accountant-General's Department were on Thursday urged to strive to maintain the required confidence and integrity of public funds and also complement government's effort at securing prudent fiscal and economic management.

Mr Kwadwo Baah-Wiredu, Minister of Finance and Economic Planning, who made the call in Accra, said in recent times the department had hit the headlines with incidents of corruption, fraud and embezzlement. "When an institution, like ours is being attacked, let's accept the challenges and reform by doing the right things. Do not let us be defensive because people see us.

"We cannot fail in protecting the interest of Ghanaians and government," he told the delegates at the opening of the Department's jubilee annual conference in Accra.

The conference used to be an annual affair, but had not been held for the past 10 years. It is aimed at bringing management and staff together to assess their performance and chart a new course to improve upon service delivery in the coming year.

The objective of this year's two-day conference is to develop strategies towards efficient management of public funds by reviewing the existing process and devising new and improved methods to enhance service delivery by taking stock of performance for the period 2004-2006.

Mr Baah-Wiredu charged the staff of the department to re-orient themselves and desist from corrupt practices that dent the image of the department.

He also reassured all public sector workers that government was determined to implement the public sector reform.

"This explains why government is projecting a wage bill of 13.2 trillion representing 66 per cent of total discretionary expenditure," he said.

Mr Baah-Wiredu said come 2008, the Fair Wage Commission would come with a new comprehensive pay structure that would maintain its integrity and ensure equity on an ongoing basis.

"By the end of implementing the new structure every public sector employee would have received an enhanced salary," he said. He added that it was in line with this background that government was proposing a bi-weekly payment of salaries to public servants in a bid to ease the stress of most workers.

Touching on the energy situation, Mr Baah-Wiredu urged the staff of the A-G's Office to give paramount attention to the demands of the energy situation, because more money was needed in that sector. He, however, cautioned them against leakages, saying that complacency would not be tolerated on the part of any staff. He announced that work on the Bui Dam project would start on June 15, since all the negotiations had been completed.

Mr Baah-Wiredu said the nation had been placed on a high pedestal in international circles and this needed to be maintained and improved upon.

Mr Christian T. Sottie, Controller and Accountant-General said the department was determined to build a multipurpose training school to address the training needs of staff and also serve as a centre for professional studies.

On the Pension Scheme, he said plans were far advanced for the decentralization of the pension processes to take off.

He said preparations so far included the provision of fully equipped offices in all regional directorates, installation of cameras and computers and the training of identified staff to start the photo identification card exercise at the regional level.