Auditor-General Flags GH¢5.26bn in Financial Irregularities as Public Sector Losses Hit Record High

The Auditor-General of Ghana has uncovered a staggering GH¢5.266 billion in financial irregularities across Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs) for the 2025 financial year. This figure represents a massive 156% increase compared to the previous year, marking the highest level of financial mismanagement recorded in the last five years. The report, which provides a damning assessment of the nation’s public financial management, highlights a growing trend of systemic leaks and accountability failures that threaten the country's fiscal health.

Tax-related irregularities dominate the findings, accounting for over 91% of the flagged amount, totaling approximately GH¢4.8 billion. These issues primarily stem from uncollected tax revenues, unremitted withholding taxes, and a general failure by authorities to enforce existing tax laws. Beyond tax issues, the Auditor-General identified GH¢410.7 million in cash irregularities and nearly GH¢20 million in payroll anomalies. One specific instance of systemic failure involves the improper payment of approximately GH¢7.5 million to four deceased pensioners over a seven-year period, a direct violation of the Public Financial Management Regulations of 2019 caused by poor inter-agency data sharing.

The report's release coincides with ongoing legal scrutiny of high-profile corruption cases, such as the GH¢49.1 million National Signals Bureau (NSB) trial. In court, investigators from the Economic and Organised Crime Office (EOCO) have defended the independence of their probe into former NSB Director-General Kwabena Adu-Boahene, who is accused of diverting public funds for personal gain. These combined incidents have fueled calls from Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) for more aggressive recovery efforts, noting that less than one-third of funds flagged in previous audits were successfully recovered between 2020 and 2023, contributing to a staggering cumulative loss of nearly GH¢100 billion over the past six years.

In response to the 2025 findings, the Auditor-General has directed the Controller and Accountant-General to recover lost funds, including interest, from negligent officials and the next-of-kin of deceased beneficiaries where applicable. Parliament’s Public Accounts Committee (PAC) is scheduled to begin public hearings soon to interrogate the heads of MDAs cited in the report. Meanwhile, anti-corruption advocates are urging the Auditor-General to exercise his constitutional powers of disallowance and surcharging more strictly to ensure that those responsible for the GH¢61 billion currently unaccounted for since 2020 are held personally liable.