President John Dramani Mahama has appointed Dr Abdul-Baasit Aziz-Bamba as the Acting Director-General of the newly established Value for Money Office, a move that marks a critical step towards operationalising the government’s flagship anti-corruption and fiscal discipline initiative .
The appointment, announced in a statement by the Presidency on Tuesday, was made in accordance with Article 195(1) of the 1992 Constitution and Section 14(1) of the Value for Money Office Act, 2026 (Act 1172) .
A Legal Scholar to Spearhead Accountability
Dr Aziz-Bamba, a Harvard-trained lawyer and Senior Lecturer at the University of Ghana School of Law, will serve in an acting capacity pending the receipt of the constitutionally required advice of the Governing Board, given in consultation with the Public Services Commission . The appointment was announced by the Spokesperson to the President and Minister for Government Communications, Felix Kwakye Ofosu .
The Presidency stated that Dr Aziz-Bamba’s appointment “marks an important step towards operationalising the Office, strengthening scrutiny of public spending, curbing waste and ensuring that public expenditure delivers tangible benefits to Ghanaians” .
A New Era for Public Financial Management
The Value for Money Office was established under Act 1172 after Parliament passed the legislation in March 2026 to address persistent challenges in Ghana’s public financial management system, including inflated contracts, abandoned projects, cost overruns, and wasteful public expenditure .
Presenting the Bill to Parliament in February 2026, Finance Minister Dr Cassiel Ato Forson described it as a “decisive step to tackle chronic inefficiencies” and emphasised that the Office would institutionalise a comprehensive value-for-money framework to ensure “every cedi spent by the government delivers maximum benefit to citizens in terms of economy, efficiency, effectiveness, equity and sustainability” .
The Office’s core functions include conducting value-for-money assessments, issuing mandatory Value for Money Certificates before major contracts are awarded, monitoring compliance, and enforcing sanctions where violations occur . It mirrors similar oversight frameworks in countries such as the United Kingdom, Canada, Singapore, and the United States .
Background and Expectations
Prior to his appointment, Dr Aziz-Bamba brought significant academic and professional depth to the role. As a Senior Lecturer at the University of Ghana School of Law and a Harvard-trained lawyer, he is expected to provide strong legal and technical leadership to an institution tasked with scrutinising how public funds are managed across government .
The appointment is seen as a key milestone in making the Office fully operational, reinforcing the government’s commitment to fiscal discipline and ensuring that public investments deliver tangible social and economic returns for the Ghanaian people .
