Finance
STRUCTURE OF THE DEPARTMENT
The Department of Finance is one of the seven departments of the General Assembly (G.A) office. It is headed by the Director of Finance and has three committees under it; the Committee on Accounts and Budget, Committee on Pensions which is run by a board of Trustees and the Projects and Investments Committee. The Chairpersons of these committees are appointed by the General Assembly Council. The qualification of persons required to make up the membership of these committees and their functions are outlined in the Manual of Order of the Presbyterian Church of Ghana.
The Director of Finance is supported by eleven staff ranging from senior to junior level staff for the day to day administrative and accounting duties. The responsibilities of the department include, among others, taking oversight of the accounting systems of the church and ensuring that they are effective and efficient as well.
FUNCTIONS OF THE DIRECTOR OF FINANCE (DOF)
The position of the Director of Finance in the Head office, is a very onerous one and therefore requires dedication of time and efforts, ingenuity, tact, drive, initiative, ability to work under pressure and acting in utmost good faith; among other qualities.
The functions of the Director are outlined in Article 15 (12) of the church’s constitution. The Director is responsible to the Clerk of the General Assembly for the general administration of the finances of the church. Other functions are as follows:
- Make disbursements as authorized;
- Open and operate bank accounts as directed by the Council.
- Sign cheques to be countersigned by persons authorized by the Council (Moderator or Clerk of GA).
- Provide the requisite financial data for the committee on Accounts and Budget for the preparation of the annual budget of the church to be submitted to the Council.
- Serve as ex-officio on other committee or bodies of the church as may be prescribed.
The Director of Finance prepares and submits monthly financial reports to the standing committee of the church. The reports throw lights on the state of financial affairs of the church. This will enable Standing Committee to take critical decisions. Again the Director prepares quarterly financial report and other reports to General Assembly Council for decision making.
- COMMITTEES:
The department works with three committees put in place by the GAC in line with the church’s constitution. These are Committee on Accounts and Budget (CAB), the Pensions Board and the Projects and Investment Committee. The Director of Finance proposes competent persons for the approval of Council to form the Committees. All committee members serve a term of three years and shall be eligible to serve for another three year term only.
The chairperson for the CAB is Mr Clarkson Duku Acheampong and that of the Pensions Board is Dr. Addae-Mensah whiles Mrs. Victoria Diaba Seidu chairs the Projects and Investment Committee. All the committees have various specialized sub-committees which address specific issues to enable the main Committee to advise Council so that they can make informed decisions.