Ghana’s missing billions: What 16 years of Auditor-General reports show
Every year, Ghana's Auditor-General submits a report to Parliament on how public money was spent and accounted for in the year under review. The report usually flags irregularities, that is, money that was lost, unaccounted for, unrecovered or exposed to loss across ministries, state institutions, district assemblies, schools and universities.
Ghana's Auditor-General has identified a staggering US$19.96 billion in financial irregularities over the past 16 years, according to data compiled by Auditdata Gh. This amounts to GH¢129.8 billion. The NPP has been responsible for 81% of these irregularities, totaling US$16.22 billion, while the NDC is responsible for US$3.74 billion.
The NPP's years account for 81% of the total irregularities recorded since 2010. The majority of the losses can be attributed to outstanding debts and unrecovered loans, making up 67.4% of the total. Payroll fraud, often the most talked-about form of financial irregularity, only accounts for 0.2% of the total. State corporations hold three-quarters of all the audited cedi lost since 2010.
The worst years for financial irregularities were 2021, 2017, 2020, 2022, and 2018, with losses of US$3.10 billion, US$2.95 billion, US$2.60 billion, US$1.93 billion, and US$1.73 billion respectively.
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