Auditor-General’s CitizensEye app enhances transparency and accountability

By Samuel SAM

The introduction of the Auditor-General’s App, known as “CitizenEye” – a digital platform from Ghana Audit Service that allows citizens to directly report suspected corruption, mismanagement or national concerns to the service – has empowered ordinary citizens, residents and civic actors to actively contribute to curbing corruption in the country.

It has also helped to enhance citizen participation in ensuring transparency, accountability and good governance in public institutions.

Assistant Auditor-General at Ghana Audit Service (GAS), Thomas Nunoo, announced this at the Ghana Anti-Corruption Coalition (GACC) zonal capacity building workshop for civic actors and some selected media personnel focused on the Auditor-General’s Report and the CitizensEye App.

With the app, citizens are encouraged to anonymously or directly report suspected cases of mismanagement, fraud, corruption, abuse, wastage or irregularities in public spending and service delivery. Focus areas include five priority sectors: education, health, environment, infrastructure and agriculture, for necessary action to be taken.

The workshop, dubbed “An Anti-Corruption Initiative Governance and Accountability”, was held in partnership with Transparency International Ghana (TI-Ghana), the Africa Centre for Energy Policy (ACEP) and supported by the UK’s Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) to equip selected media personnel and stakeholders with skills to accurately interpret and report on the Auditor-General’s Reports.

It was also to ensure a deeper understanding of audit processes, leading to more precise, evidence-based reporting on public financial management aimed at reducing sensationalism or errors that undermine trust and help expose irregularities effectively.

He said that educating the citizens on audit processes and the CitizensEye App would help foster grassroots monitoring of public funds, thereby enabling early detection of irregularities and increased pressure on authorities for recoveries, sanctions or reforms.

“By promoting the CitizensEye App, citizens would be empowered to report issues anonymously or directly to foster grassroots monitoring and feed real-time data into official audits”, he said.

He noted that the app, positioned as a tool for citizens to “speak out” and fulfil their civic duty in fighting corruption and improving service delivery, allows citizens to upload photos, documents or other proof to support reports for evidence gathering for investigations and follow-ups on public irregularities.

He urged the media to ensure accurate, responsible reporting to promote informed public discourse and avoid misunderstandings.

Regional Auditor at GAS, Mad. Cordelia Mensah, said civic actors serve as intermediaries between citizens and institutions like the Audit Service, amplifying citizen voices and feeding real-time data into official audits that support the implementation of Ghana’s National Anti-Corruption Action Plan and enhance follow-up on Auditor-General recommendations.

She said addressing corruption through informed civic participation can lead to better resource allocation, reduced wastage and improved service delivery.

The Executive Director of Savannah Women’s Integrated and Development Agency (SWIDA) commended GAC for the initiative in educating citizens on their rights of ensuring both public and private service providers render accounts to citizens.

Programme Officer at GACC, Samuel Harisson-Cudjoe, said the events, held in Tamale, Accra, Kumasi and Takoradi, were aimed at ensuring that the voices of citizens contribute to cultural shifts in accountability, deter malfeasance and promote ethical public service in support of long-term national development.

He stressed that empowering citizens on the use of the app would help to drive accountability and combat corruption through informed participation.

As an organisation, we are committed to collaborating with institutions to equip civic actors with the knowledge and practical tools needed to interpret Auditor-General reports, identify irregularities in public financial management, and actively use the CitizensEye App to report suspected corruption or mismanagement directly to the Audit Service, he said.

It is also to empower grassroots stakeholders to monitor public resources and promote accountability at the local and zonal levels, he added.

 

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