Audit Service flags GH¢2.3bn irregularities across seven ministries

The Auditor-General has released its 2025 Annual Report identifying GH¢2.3 billion in financial irregularities spanning seven ministries and thirty-two state institutions, marking the largest figure since 2019 and prompting immediate calls from Parliament for accountability.nnThe Ministry of Roads and Highways accounts for the largest share, with GH¢874 million in unsupported expenditures, duplicate payments and contracts awarded without competitive tendering. The Ministry of Health follows with GH¢610 million in discrepancies largely related to pharmaceutical procurement.nnAuditor-General Johnson Akuamoah Asiedu said many of the irregularities reflected systemic weaknesses in internal audit capacity rather than deliberate fraud, but noted that some cases showed clear evidence of malfeasance that had been referred to the Attorney-General’s Department for potential prosecution.nnParliament’s Public Accounts Committee chair Kwame Anyimadu-Antwi called for an emergency sitting to interrogate the implicated ministers and chief directors. “This level of irregularity is unacceptable. Parliament will not simply note the report and move on,” he said.nnThe Finance Ministry said it had already implemented an electronic payment verification system in forty-three institutions to prevent duplicate transactions, and that manual override capabilities had been removed from the system.nnCivil society platform SEND Ghana urged the government to publish all supporting documentation from the audit on the open data portal to allow independent verification. A press conference has been scheduled by the Auditor-General for next Tuesday to answer press questions on the findings.