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PSAF – Nov 2024 – L2 – Q5c – Functions of the State Interests and Governance Authority

Explains four functions of the State Interests and Governance Authority (SIGA) in overseeing state entities.

The Nine Hundred and Ninetieth Act of the Parliament of the Republic of Ghana entitled the State Interests and Governance Authority Act, 2019 was established to oversee and administer state interests in state-owned enterprises, joint venture companies, and other state entities and to provide for related matters.

Required:

Explain FOUR functions of the State Interests and Governance Authority (SIGA).

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PSAF – Nov 2024 – L2 – Q5b – Nolan’s Principles of Public Life

Explains four of Nolan’s Seven Principles of Public Life, which guide ethical behavior in public office.

 Nolan’s Seven Principles of Public Life serve as guidelines for ethical behavior in public service. They are not typically enforceable through direct legal actions; instead, they often operate as moral and professional standards shaping the behavior of individuals in public office.

Required:

Explain FOUR of these principles.

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PSAF – Nov 2024 – L2 – Q5a – Public Financial Management Regulations

Explains the provisions in PFM Regulation 2019 for a Principal Spending Officer in the payment process and differentiates between misapplication and misappropriation of funds.

a) The Public Financial Management Regulation makes the Principal Spending Officer (PSO) personally responsible for all payments of the covered entity. To mitigate possible risk exposure of the PSO during the payment process, the regulations provide guidance to assist approving authorities before signing off any payment.

In recent times, the Auditor-General has faulted PSOs for infractions such as misapplication of funds, misappropriation of funds, and partially accounted payments among others. Similar observations were cited in the 2023 Management Letter of Nipa Ye Municipal Assembly.

Required:

i) With reference to the PFM Regulation 2019, LI 2378, explain the provisions available to the PSO in the payment process before approval.

ii) Distinguish between misapplication of funds and misappropriation of funds as used by the Auditor-General with an example each.

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PSA – Nov 2024 – L2 – Q4c – Events After the Reporting Date

Explanation of events occurring after the reporting date and their impact on financial statements.

Explain THREE limitations of ratio analysis

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PSAF – Nov 2024 – L2 – Q4b – Public Expenditure and Financial Accountability

Explanation of the Public Expenditure and Financial Accountability framework and its application.

Based on your results in (a), write a report to the newly appointed board analyzing and indicating whether their performance is better in comparison with the old board.

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PSAF – Nov 2024 – L2 – Q4a – Financial Ratio Analysis

Compute financial ratios for Ghana Wind Farms LTD to analyze performance trends.

Ghana Wind Farms LTD, a State-Owned Enterprise (SOE), has appointed a new Board of Directors in January 2023. The new Board, after settling for a year, is interested in assessing their performance for the year 2023 against the performance of the previous Board in the year 2022 through ratio analysis. Below is the financial statement of Ghana Wind Farms LTD for the two years.


Ghana Wind Farms LTD

Statement of Profit or Loss for the Year Ended 31 December 2023

2023 (GH¢) 2022 (GH¢)
Revenue 9,860,000 6,218,000
Direct Cost (5,905,000) (5,822,000)
Gross Profit 3,955,000 396,000
Distribution Costs (297,000) (264,000)
Administrative Expenses (505,000) (455,000)
Other Income 236,000 13,000
Other Gains 1,482,000
Operating Profit 3,389,000 1,172,000
Finance Cost (1,000,000) (334,000)
Profit Before Tax Expense 2,389,000 838,000
Tax Expense (500,000) (144,000)
Profit After Tax 1,889,000 694,000

Ghana Wind Farms LTD

Statement of Financial Position as at 31 December 2023

2023 (GH¢) 2022 (GH¢)
ASSETS
Non-Current Assets
Property, Plant & Equipment 17,000,000 15,000,000
Investment 5,000 2,000
Advances & Loans 30,000
Total Non-Current Assets 17,005,000 15,032,000
Current Assets
Inventories 687,000 546,000
Trade and Other Receivables 2,829,000 1,978,000
Prepayments 87,000 42,000
Cash and Cash Equivalents 383,000 434,000
Total Current Assets 3,986,000 3,000,000
TOTAL ASSETS 20,991,000 18,032,000
EQUITY & LIABILITIES
Equity
Government Equity 8,000 8,000
Other Government Equity 613,000 306,000
Capital Surplus 8,471,000 7,599,000
Income Surplus (1,434,000) 478,000
Total Equity 7,970,000 8,697,000
Non-Current Liabilities
Deferred Credit 6,692,000 670,000
Deferred Tax Liabilities 2,498,000 2,572,000
Borrowings (Due After One Year) 1,297,000 950,000
Total Non-Current Liabilities 10,487,000 4,192,000
Current Liabilities
Bank Overdraft 166,000 180,000
Provision for Company Tax 109,000 109,000
Trade and Other Payables 1,820,000 4,516,000
Borrowings (Due Within One Year) 439,000 338,000
Total Current Liabilities 2,534,000 5,143,000
Total Liabilities 13,021,000 9,335,000
TOTAL EQUITY AND LIABILITIES 20,991,000 18,032,000

Required:

a) Compute the following ratios:

i) Current Ratio
ii) Quick Ratio
iii) Inventory Turnover (Days)
iv) Trade Receivable Collection Period (Days)
v) Trade Payables Period (Days)
vi) Working Capital Cycle
vii) Interest Cover Ratio
viii) Total Debt – Total Asset Ratio

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PSAF – Nov 2024 – L2 – Q3b – Public Expenditure and Financial Accountability (PEFA) Assessment

Evaluate the financial performance of a local government based on PEFA assessment results and recommend strategies for improvement.

 Accounting and reporting constitute a key pillar of an organised and transparent public financial management system in the public sector. The effectiveness of accounting and reporting reflects the integrity of financial data, the accuracy of in-year budget reports, and the quality of annual financial statements. In a recent Public Expenditure and Financial Accountability (PEFA) assessment, a local government had the following results:

  • Annual financial reporting: D
  • In-year budget report: D+
  • Financial data integrity: C

Required:
i) Explain the assessment performance to the Municipal Chief Executive of the local government.
ii) Recommend two strategies for improving the performance of the local government in each of the assessed areas.

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PSAF – Nov 2024 – L2 – Q3a – Public Financial Management Cycle

Explaining objectives and improvements in public financial management systems.

As part of efforts to improve public financial management, the government has engaged experts to evaluate the entire public financial management cycle. The review report indicates that every component of the cycle is malfunctioning and emphasizes the need for a stronger commitment to building a robust system to achieve the desired outcomes.

Required:

i) Explain THREE key objectives of an orderly and open public financial management system.

ii) Recommend TWO ways of enhancing each stage of the public financial management cycle towards the attainment of desired outcomes.

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PSAF – Nov 2024 – L2 – Q2b – Related Party Transactions and Disclosures

Explains related party transactions and their implications under IPSAS 20.

You are the Director of Finance at the Ghana Water Development Authority, an entity under the Ministry of Forestry and Water. The Authority has a five-member Board chaired by the daughter of the Sector Minister. The Chief Executive Officer of the Authority has just been appointed by Government for an initial term of four years.

The Chairperson of the board runs boutique services. The Authority buys a lot of presents from this boutique whenever they are confronted with the need to give out presents to any high-profile person. The Chairperson has made a request to the Authority to finance her boutique services with an amount of GH¢546,000 to enable her business to pay some urgent bills. No terms or conditions were provided in the request. Such an assistance from a financial institution would attract the current prevailing bank interest on loans at a rate of 35% per annum. Recently, another member of the Board contracted a loan from the Bank for her child’s university entrance fees at that rate.

Management of the Authority indicated that the amount was not significant to the Authority and has been approved by the Head of the entity and the Chief Director. The approved document has been handed over to you for payment. Considering the PFM Laws and IPSAS, you engaged the Chief Director about the request, but you were directed to go ahead and pay and use the appropriate accounting treatment in such circumstances. You accordingly raised the necessary documentation and effected the payment.

Required:

In relation to IPSAS 20: Related Party Disclosures:

i) Explain the implications of this transaction on the Authority and state how you would account for this transaction in the financial statements of the entity.

ii) State SIX situations where related party transactions may lead to disclosures by a reporting entity.

iii) Explain TWO reasons for disclosing related party transactions/relations.

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PSAF – Nov 2024 – L2 – Q2a – Valuation of Legacy Fixed Assets

Valuation and accounting treatment of legacy fixed assets in compliance with IPSAS.

The Ministry of Indigenous Enterprises has been charged to collect legacy fixed assets data and value them in accordance with International Public Sector Accounting Standards (IPSAS). The Fixed Assets Coordinating Unit (FACU) of the Ministry has collected for valuation the following data for your action:

The Ministry owns a four (4) storey Office Administration block. The average cost per floor is GH¢4,741,256.25. The building was constructed on a land size of 20 plots of land owned by the Ministry. Currently, a plot of land in that area costs GH¢2,500,000. The FACU has measured the sizes of the building as follows:

  • Length: 87.5 meters
  • Width: 42.65 meters
  • Reference Price per Square Meter: GH¢4,432

However, a professional body, the Institute of Architects and Engineers, has given the reference price for the cost of such an office building at an estimated price of GH¢87,965,025. The building has not seen any further facelift ever since. However, a fence wall with a gate to enforce security and secure the land has just been completed in the current year at a cost of GH¢8,970,000 with a lifespan of 50 years.

The year of construction of the office building could not be determined, yet an old watchman who had been there for ages remembers that the building was constructed some 42 years ago, a time when his seventh child was born. It is the decision of the Government of Ghana on the adoption of IPSAS not to take advantage of the three-year exemption period but to account for legacy fixed assets by taking 60% of the reference cost of the legacy assets as the deemed cost, with a reduced lifespan of 30 years.

Required:

i) Calculate the cost of the land and buildings with structures to be brought into the books on the adoption of IPSAS and determine the depreciation chargeable in the first year in respect of these assets.                                                                                              ii) Show the extract of Statement of Financial Position of the Ministry of Indigenous
Enterprises as at that date

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FM – Nov 2024 – L2 – Q5b – Overdue Debt Collection

Steps to collect overdue debts in financial management.

Outline the steps to be followed to collect overdue debts.

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FM – Nov 2024 – L2 – Q5a – Management of Receivables

Evaluate the financial implications of different strategies for managing Abaa LTD's accounts receivable.

Abaa LTD, a company that manufactures and sells electronic appliances, has been facing challenges with its accounts receivable management. Currently, the company allows its customers 60 days of credit. Due to the highly competitive market, Abaa LTD has been experiencing an increasing amount of bad debts and delayed payments, which has adversely affected its cash flow and profitability. To address these issues, the company’s Finance Manager is considering several strategic changes:

  1. Reduction in Credit Period: Reducing the credit period from 60 days to 45 days. It is estimated that this change could reduce sales by 5% due to the stricter credit terms, but it would also decrease the bad debt ratio from 4% to 2% of sales.
  2. Offering Early Payment Discounts: Introducing a 2% discount for customers who pay within 30 days. The company anticipates that 30% of its customers will take advantage of this discount, which would improve cash flow and reduce the average collection period by 15 days.
  3. Engagement of a Factor: The company is also considering engaging a factoring company to manage its receivables. The factor would advance 80% of the invoice value upon the sale of goods at 200 basis points below the company’s cost of capital and charge a 3% fee on all sales. The factor is expected to reduce the bad debt ratio to 1% of sales and further reduce the average collection period by 20 days. Engaging the factor will lead to annual administrative savings of GH¢90,000.

Abaa LTD’s current annual sales are GH¢20 million, and the variable cost of sales is 60% of sales. The company’s cost of capital is 12% per annum.

Required:
Evaluate the financial implications of the following:
i) Reduction in Credit Period
ii) Offering Early Payment Discounts
iii) Engagement of a Factor
iv) Recommend the appropriate method to manage the credit sales

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FM – Nov 2024 – L2 – Q4b – Procurement and Tendering Procedures

Discuss circumstances under which single-source procurement is appropriate and functions of the Entity Tender Committee.

The Farms and Gardens Authority (FGA), a public entity, wants to buy 100 computers and 20 printers for its administrative offices. The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) is considering using the single-source procurement method to procure the computers and printers while pushing back on the recommendations of the Entity Tender Committee.

Required:

i) State TWO circumstances under which single-source procurement would be appropriate for the goods the FGA wants to procure.

ii) Advise the CEO on TWO functions the Entity Tender Committee is expected to perform in the FGA’s procurements.

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FM – Nov 2024 – L2 – Q4a – Business Valuation

Valuing a company using the discounted cash flow model and price multiples.

Djokoto PLC (Djokoto) has 12 million ordinary shares outstanding and no other long-term debt. The Finance Director of Djokoto, Adepa, estimates that Djokoto’s free cash flows at the end of the next three years will be GH¢0.5 million, GH¢0.6 million, and GH¢0.7 million, respectively. After Year 3, the free cash flow will grow at 5% yearly forever. The appropriate discount rate for this free cash flow stream is determined to be 15% annually.

In a separate analysis based on ratios, Adepa estimates that Djokoto will be worth 10 times its Year 3 free cash flow at the end of the third year. Adepa gathered data on two companies comparable to Djokoto: Mesewa and Dunsin. It is believed that these companies’ price-to-earnings, price-to-sales, and price-to-book-value per share should be used to value Djokoto.

The relevant data for the three companies are given in the table below:

Variables Mesewa Dunsin Djokoto
Current Price Per Share 7.20 4.50 2.40
Earnings Per Share 0.20 0.15 0.10
Revenue Per Share 3.20 2.25 1.60
Book Value Per Share 1.80 1.00 0.80

Required:
i) Estimate Djokoto’s fair value based on the discounted cash flows model. (5 marks)
ii) Compute the following ratios for the comparable companies:

  • P/E Ratio (2 marks)
  • Price-to-Sales Ratio (2 marks)
  • Price-to-Book-Value Ratio (2 marks)
    iii) Based on the valuation results, discuss whether an investor should buy, sell, or hold Djokoto shares. Justify your recommendation. (4 marks)
    iii) Identify two advantages and two disadvantages of business combinations.

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FM – Nov 2024 – L2 – Q3b – Mobile Money vs Traditional Banking

Discuss the disadvantages of mobile money compared to traditional banking services.

The development of mobile money in Ghana has provided a section of the population with banking services that were previously not accessed. This expansion in financial inclusion is seen as a positive step towards boosting economic activity and alleviating poverty. However, there are some disadvantages to mobile money compared to a traditional bank account.

Required:
Explain FOUR disadvantages of mobile money compared to a traditional bank account.

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FM -NOV 2024 – L2 – Q3a – Foreign Exchange Risk Management

Explaining foreign exchange risk types and calculating the impact of forward contract hedging.

a) Dadisen PLC manufactures and sells pharmaceutical products in Ghana. It imports a significant portion of its pharmaceutical inputs from the USA. However, it only sells its products in Ghana. The company is considering establishing its foothold in The Gambia, Liberia, and Sierra Leone markets.

i) Dadisen PLC reports its results in its home currency. It pays for its purchases from the USA in US dollars but receives payments for its sales in Ghana cedis. All sales from Gambia, Liberia, and Sierra Leone are expected to be transferred into US dollar accounts each week. On average, the company generally takes 90 days to pay its suppliers and receives payment from its debtors within 60 days. In paying its suppliers, the company relies on bank overdrafts at an annual rate of 10%.

Over the last few years, the company has found that sales have been quite predictable, and it has been possible to plan sales levels and purchases of goods in advance. However, the company does not have adequate management skills for its foreign currency exposure. As a result, the company has reported exchange rate losses since 2020. The company is currently considering whether the forex exposure could be better managed.

Required:

Describe the following types of foreign currency exposure, giving examples of how they could impact the financial statements of Dadisen PLC:

  • Transaction risk
  • Translation risk
  • Economic risk

ii) The company estimates that it will need to borrow $1 million in three months’ time for a period of six months but is concerned about expected fluctuations in the exchange rate. The company is considering hedging this exposure using a currency forward contract. The company’s banker, GCB, has agreed to sell the US dollar forward for 9 months at GH¢17 to the dollar.

Required:
Compute the effect of the currency forward transaction on profitability if the spot exchange rate in 9 months is:

  • GH¢22
  • GH¢15

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FM – Nov 2024 – L2 – Q2 – Investment Appraisal

Calculate the NPV of launching two new products, Agbui and Loloi, and advise on the investment decision.

Santrofi PLC is a publisher that wants to expand its market share in magazine publications. The company plans to launch two new products, Agbui and Loloi, at the start of January 2025, which it believes will each have a 4-year life span. The sales mix is assumed to be fixed. The information below is relevant:

  1. Expected sales volumes (units) for Agbui:
Year 1 2 3 4
Volume 30,000 55,000 50,000 15,000
  1. The first year’s selling price and direct material costs for each Agbui unit will be GH¢31 and GH¢12, respectively. On the other hand, the company expects to sell 25% more Loloi units than Agbui. Both selling price and direct material cost of Loloi are expected to be 25% less than Agbui’s.

  2. Incremental fixed production costs are expected to be GH¢500,000 in the first year of operation, apportioned based on revenue. Advertising costs will be GH¢250,000 in the first year of operation and then GH¢125,000 per year for the following two years.

  3. To produce the two products, an investment of GH¢1 million in machinery and GH¢500,000 in working capital will be needed, payable at the start of the period. Santrofi PLC expects to recover GH¢600,000 from the sale of machinery at the end of the project life. Investment in machinery attracts a 100% first-year tax-allowable depreciation. The company has sufficient profit to take full advantage of the allowance in Year 1. For the purpose of reporting accounting profit, the company depreciates machinery on a four-year straight-line basis.

  4. Revenue and costs are expected to be affected by inflation after the first year as follows:

    • Selling price: 3% a year
    • Direct material cost: 3% a year
    • Fixed production cost: 5% a year
  5. The company’s real discount rate is 10% for investment appraisal. Average inflation is deemed to be 3%. The applicable corporate tax rate is 25%.

Required:
Calculate the Net Present Value (NPV) of the proposed investment in the two products and advise the company on its investment appraisal.

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FM – Nov 2024 – L2 – Q1b – Ethical Issues in Financial Management

Discuss four ethical issues in financial management and their impact on decision-making.

Finance Managers often encounter decisions that affect the organisation’s financial health and reflect its commitment to ethical standards. Balancing profitability with ethical considerations can be challenging, yet it is essential for sustaining long-term success and protecting an organisation’s reputation.

Required:
Discuss FOUR ethical issues in financial management.

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FM – Nov 2024 – L2 – Q1a – Sources of Finance

Compare equity and debt financing for business expansion using rights issue and loan notes.

GoodLife Innovations is planning to expand its operations, which will boost its profit before interest and tax by 20%. The company is evaluating whether to fund the GH¢4,000,000 needed for this expansion through equity or debt financing.

If equity financing is chosen, the company will offer a 1-for-5 rights issue to existing shareholders at a 20% discount to the current ex-dividend share price of GH¢5 per share. The par value of the ordinary shares is GH¢1 per share. Alternatively, if debt financing is selected, GoodLife Innovations will issue 20,000 8% loan notes, each with a par value of GH¢200.

The following information was extracted from the financial statement prior to raising new finance:

GH¢’000 Amount
Profit before interest and tax 3,194
Finance costs (interest) (630)
Taxation (564)
Profit after tax 2,000
Equity & Liability:
Ordinary shares 5,000
Retained earnings 10,976
Long-term liabilities: 7% loan notes 9,000
Total equity & liabilities 24,976

GoodLife Innovations currently has a price/earnings ratio of 12.5 times. Corporate tax is payable at a rate of 22%.

Required:
i) Calculate the theoretical ex-rights price per share. 
ii) Calculate the revised earnings per share after the business expansion:

  • assuming equity finance is adopted.
  • assuming debt finance is adopted. 
    iii) Determine the revised share prices under both financing methods after the business expansion. 
    iv) Determine which financing method should be used for the planned business expansion using computations for interest cover and share price changes.

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AA – Nov 2024 – L2 – Q5c – General Principles of Public Sector Auditing

Explain five general principles of public sector auditing under ISSAI.

There are general principles that guide the practice of auditing in the public sector in accordance with International Standards of Supreme Audit Institutions (ISSAI). The principles of auditing are not very different from auditing and assurance in the private sector.

Required:
In relation to the statement above, explain FIVE general principles of public sector audit.

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