Finance Minister Dr Cassiel Ato Forson has urged public officials to account for every cedi entrusted to them and to strengthen financial management systems to prevent the recurring loss of public funds.

He made the call during an engagement on the Auditor-General's Report attended by regional ministers and metropolitan, municipal and district chief executives (MMDCEs).

Dr Ato Forson said efforts to recover misappropriated or unaccounted-for public resources should not become an annual ritual, stressing the need for systems that prevent financial irregularities in the first place.

He reminded public officials that they are custodians, not owners, of state resources and have a responsibility to manage them in the interest of the Ghanaian people.

"Public money does not belong to government officials; we are only the custodians of those resources," he said, adding that the funds belong to the people of Ghana.

The Finance Minister called on the officials to ensure that all recoverable public funds are retrieved and that every cedi placed in their care is properly accounted for.

"Let us recover every cedi that is recoverable. Let us account for every cedi that is entrusted to us as public officials," he said.

Dr Ato Forson stressed, however, that accountability should go beyond recovering funds after irregularities have occurred. He urged public institutions to strengthen their financial management and oversight mechanisms to safeguard public resources and minimise the recurrence of such cases.

"Let us build systems where recovery becomes the exception, not an annual ritual," he said.