The use of transfer and posting of staff as a means of punishment in the public service must stop, Mr Kwabena Obese-Jecty, Director-General of the Internal Audit Agency (IAA) has said.

“Our leaders too often resort to transfer or posting to address issues of indiscipline. It is time we put a stop to this tradition in our public services”, he added.

Speaking at the on-going 9th Internal Audit Forum in Accra, Mr Obese-Jecty explained that “Point four of the Senchi Consensus asks us to foster an environment in the public service free of intimidation. Point 4 clearly draws attention to this tradition in our public service”.

The theme for the two-day event being attended by members of the IAA is, “Improving Governance in the Public Sector”.

Participants at the forum are deliberating on topics including “the Role of Management and Internal Auditors in Improving governance in the Public sector, the Role of the Public Servant in Improving Governance in the public sector-through attitudinal change and adherence to code of ethics and conduct; and a presentation on Human Resources Management Information System (HRMIS).

Mr Obese-Jecty said governance in the public sector would be improved when ways are found to defeat the private interests that work towards objectives that do not serve the public good.

He said there was also the need to making sure that public institutions including regulatory bodies, anti-corruption agencies and other government institutions were well-resourced to carry out their mandates.

“It is clear that insufficient resources are being budgeted for public servants to work with, Mr Obese-Jecty noted.

He said urgent work was therefore required to reshape the national budget to support a competent and well-resourced public service to deliver on the Senchi Consensus