Financial irregularities in Ghana’s public sector more than doubled in 2024, surging by a staggering 109% compared to the previous year, according to the latest Auditor-General’s report.
The report revealed that irregularities across public boards, corporations, and statutory institutions climbed from GH¢8.8 billion in 2023 to GH¢18.4 billion in 2024, raising fresh alarms over lapses in public financial oversight.
The sharp spike marks a worrying reversal of a downward trend seen in the past two years and has prompted renewed scrutiny of Ghana’s public fund management systems.
“Strict implementation of our recommendations is essential to ensure financial discipline in the management of public resources,” the Auditor-General urged.
Of the GH¢18.4 billion flagged, a substantial GH¢15.57 billion is deemed recoverable. These funds include unpaid taxes, locked-up investments, outstanding loans to employees, inter-agency debts, and unretired imprest cash advances that have not been accounted for.
The remaining GH¢2.84 billion stems from administrative irregularities, such as procurement breaches and delays in adhering to financial procedures. While these may not translate into direct financial losses, they reflect systemic weaknesses in compliance with public sector financial regulations.
One notable positive from the report was a significant drop in payroll-related infractions, which fell from GH¢8.7 million in 2023 to just GH¢191,601 in 2024, a move analysts attribute to improved human resource management and digitisation.
Still, with Ghana facing rising public debt and fiscal pressure, the revelation of massive irregularities has intensified calls for stronger institutional accountability and swift recovery of misused funds.
