President Mahama orders audit of all district assemblies

President John Dramani Mahama has ordered a full forensic audit of all 261 district assemblies after an internal report by the Ministry of Local Government identified procurement irregularities totalling an estimated GH¢940 million across thirty-seven assemblies.nnThe directive, issued from the Jubilee House on Monday, gives the Auditor-General six months to complete the exercise and submit a report to Cabinet. Any assembly official found to have authorised irregular payments will be referred to the Attorney-General for prosecution, the President’s spokesperson said.nnThe announcement follows a report by investigative outlet The Fourth Estate which tracked inflated contracts for school buildings and community roads in seven regions, with some projects showing cost overruns of over two hundred percent.nnLocal Government Minister Ofosu Ahenkorah told journalists that the government would not shield any official regardless of political affiliation. “The assemblies are the closest tier of government to the people. When procurement fails there, ordinary Ghanaians suffer directly,” he said.nnThe Auditor-General’s office said it would deploy audit teams to all regions simultaneously and produce interim findings within ninety days. Civil society organisations have been invited to serve as independent observers during the process.nnParliamentary committees on local government and public accounts have both requested to be briefed on the audit findings before any prosecutions proceed.