UNIVERSITY OF EDUCATION WINNEBA

DEPARTMENT OF ACCOUNTING
SCHOOL OF BUSINESS
FIRST SEMESTER 2022/2023 ACADEMIC YEAR
COURSE SYLLABUS
PUBLIC SECTOR ACCOUNTING
BBA (ACCOUNTING)/ ACCOUNTING EDUCATION
BAC 355/ACC 352
3 Credit Hours

Course Instructor:
 Name: Ibrahim A. Ahmed
 Office Location: Department of Accounting
 Office Hours: Tuesday—11:30 am to 12:30pm or strictly by appointment
 E-mail: mamastughosh@gamil.com

Course Overview
The course dwells on various concepts from various subject areas. This includes a discussion of the various
conventional and contemporary financial management practices within the public sector. Primarily, budgeting,
accounting and reporting, procurement, auditing and management issues within the context of the public sector
are discussed in this course. Aside these, various legislations and issues relevant to the Ghanaian public sector
are analyzed. In general terms, issues pertaining to the public sector environment within the socio-political
economy of Ghana are discussed for a better appreciation of public sector accounting issues and accounting and
reporting therefrom.

Course Objectives/Goals:
This course seeks to equip students with the prerequisite knowledge and skills necessary for short and long-term
financial management decisions and accounting issues in the public sector environment. It is therefore expected
that students would be able to apply the general concepts to be discussed within the Ghanaian public sector and
generally, to all public sector entities across the globe.

Learning Outcomes
Upon successful completion of this course students should be able to:
 Describe the nature of the public sector and explain public sector accounting
 Describe the legal and regulatory environment of the public sector in Ghana
 Discuss and evaluate public sector budgeting and the developments over the years
 Outline the elements of Public Procurement and discuss the activities of the Public Procurement
Authority (PPA)
 Prepare the financial statements of the central government (Public Accounts)

1
  Outline and discuss the main performance measures and management tools used in evaluating
performance in the public sector.
 Describe the nature, financing and accountability issues in the local government administration of Ghana
 Identify and describe the types of auditing in the public sector

Course Delivery
The course will be delivered through lectures and if possible guest lectures. Also, students will be required to
analyze a number of thought-provoking case studies and use various methodologies to analyze these cases.
Again, students shall use theories to illustrate the techniques helpful in financial analysis and discussions of
issues specific to the public sector.

Assessment and Grading

The university has a policy on assessment for students. It will be in the interest of students to familiarize
themselves with the grading scale and all academic policies that apply to them. The Students’ Handbook can be
referred to for details. Students shall however be assessed as follows:
 Quizzes and Mid-Semester Exams 15%
 Assignments and presentation 20%
 Class Participation and attendance 5%
 Final Exam 60%
Total 100%

Note that, with the exception of final exams, all other assessment scores can be varied.

Plagiarism policy
 Plagiarism is a serious offence in academia and shall be treated as such. Notably, plagiarism in whatever
form or nature is unacceptable. There are various plagiarism policies with attendant sanctions. These
sanctions shall be applied when necessary; thus students are entreated to abreast themselves with these
policies.
 ALL students are expected to familiarize themselves with the contents of the university policy on
plagiarism and any other policies.
 The use of turnitin is highly recommended before the submission of all assignments. The lecturer
will have the discretion to allow students to resubmit assignments if they don’t meet the turnitin
threshold. Where it is discovered that a student or a group of students have engaged in plagiarism
based on a turnitin report, the assignment submitted shall be cancelled and the students will be
scored zero.

Reading List /Required Text

There is no single textbook for this course. The course is multi-disciplinary, thus draws from accounting, public
finance, applicable laws and legislations within the public sector of Ghana and other related areas.

Adopted Texts:
 Patton, T. K., Patton, S. R., & Ives, M. (2019). Accounting for Governmental and Nonprofit
Organizations. Cambridge Business Publishers.

 Freeman, R. J., Shoulders, C. D., Allison, G. S., & p Smith, R. (2013). Governmental and nonprofit
accounting. Pearson Higher Ed.

 Oduro, R. (2015) Public Sector Accounting and Finance, a Practical Guide; IPSAS Edition. Accra:
Bigmikes Publications.
2
Other Reading Materials
 1992 Constitution of Ghana
 Public Financial Management Act, 2016, Act 921 (Repealed: Financial Administration Act 2003, Act
654).
 Public Financial Management Regulation 2019, LI 2378 (Repealed Financial Administration Regulation
2004, LI 1802 (FAR)
 Audit Service Act 2000 Act 584
 Internal Audit Agency Act 2003, Act 658
 Public Procurement Act 2003 Act 663 and Public Procurement (Amendment) Act, 2016 Act, 914
 International Public Sector Accounting Standards
 Local Government Act 2016
 National Pension Act 2008, Act 766
 Petroleum Revenue Management Act 2011, Act 815.
 The Bank of Ghana Corporate Governance Directive for Banks, Savings &Loans Companies, Finance
Houses and Financial Holding Companies (2018).
 Other fund specific laws such as:
o District Assembly Common Fund Act 1993 (Act 455)
o Ghana Education Trust Fund Act 2000 (Act 581)
o Road Fund Act 1997 (Act 536)
o Government of Ghana Budgets
 Prescribed journal articles on relevant topics

Other Information
 Class attendance is expected. Students are encouraged to indicate their attendance by registering
or writing their names in the sheet provided.
 Students are encouraged to participate actively in class in regard to analysis and discussion of
reading materials, lecture materials, problems, and cases.
 Class time will be devoted to lecture, discussion, and analysis of assigned problems.
 Students should complete readings and assigned problems prior to class meetings. Students are
expected to spend substantial amounts of time, in and out of class, to keep up with readings and
listening to current affairs.
 Required resources (including articles) may be distributed in class, or one may be required to find
the article.
 Sometimes circumstances beyond one’s control requires that they miss a scheduled class. If
necessary, it is the student's responsibility to get any missed lecture notes or handouts. If you are
unable to make it to class to turn in an assignment, make arrangements with a classmate to turn in
your work &/or contact the lecturer prior to class. You are responsible for what takes place or is
announced in class.
 Assignments could be individual or group assignments. There shall be no late submission of
assignments.
 Each student may be required to do a presentation.

Course Delivery Schedule

Week: 1-2: Overview and Scope of the Public Sector and Public Sector Accounting
 Background and definitions of the public sector and public sector accounting
 Objectives
 Users and stakeholders of Public sector information
3
 The Regulatory Environment
 Overview of the Public Financial Management Act, 2016, Act 921

Week: 3-4: Public Sector Budgeting

 Definitions and Purposes of Budgeting in the Public Sector
 Approaches to Budgeting in the Public Sector
 Medium Term Expenditure Framework (MTEF), etc.
 The process of central government budgeting
 Case studies

Week 5: Introduction to Public Procurement

 Role of procurement and legal framework
 Procurement roles and responsibilities
 Procurement principles and ethics
 Procurement rules, methods & thresholds
 Overview of areas of amendment

Week 6-8: Financial Reporting in Public Sector

 Forms, bases and techniques of Public Sector Accounting:
– Commitment accounting
– Fund accounting
– Budgetary accounting
 Preparation of Public Accounts

Week 9-10: Performance Management in the Public Sector

 Definitions of concepts and terminologies
 Performance measures: Economy, efficiency, effectiveness, Equity
 Application of the performance measures to evaluating public programs
 Performance management tools/mechanisms: Balanced Scorecard & Performance Prism

Week 11-12: Local Government Finance and Accounting

 The Concept of Decentralization
 The structure of the Local government of Ghana
 Functions of the Assemblies
 Development Partners and Central Government representatives at the local levels
 Financing arrangements, Budgeting and Accounting
o Sources of Internally Generated Funds (IGF)
o Strategies used by MMDAs in mobilizing IGFs
o Challenges of IGF mobilization
 The MMDAs External Funding Concept and the Accounting processes
o The District Assembly Common Fund (DACF)
o The District Development Fund (DDF)
o Social Intervention Fund (SIF)
o Urban Development Grant (UDG) (v) Functional Organizational Assessment Tool (FOAT)
 Governance and Reporting issues in the NGO sector

Week 13: Auditing in the public sector: External and Internal Audit
 Legislative and regulatory framework of external and internal audit in the public sector
4
 Appointments, powers and responsibilities of auditors
 Scope of public sector audit
 Traditional and modern perspective of auditing
 Audit models and types of audit works and reports
 Ethical consideration
 The Auditor General and accountability issues
 The work of the Public Account Committee of parliament