{
  "id": 7500933,
  "title": "Auditing the Auditor-General: How special audit understated a COVID-19 expenditure",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/15/auditing-the-auditor-general-how-special-audit-understated-a-covid-19",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-09-15T07:24:52.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "MyJoyOnline Ghana",
    "slug": "myjoyonline-ghana",
    "url": "https://www.myjoyonline.com/auditing-the-auditor-general-how-special-audit-understated-a-covid-19-expenditure/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "An extensive investigation has exposed that the Auditor-General's specialized audit of Ghana's COVID-19 spending significantly underestimated a significant cost incurred by numerous ministries. The audit, undertaken in late 2022 at the request of then Finance Minister Ken Ofori-Atta, who faces charges of corruption, failed to accurately reflect the expenditures of the fumigation campaign, a major measure in the country’s fight against the pandemic. The audit reported the fumigation cost as GHS 96 million ($8.7 million), but this report, spanning three ministries – Education, Transport, and Local Government – reveals that Ghana actually spent a minimum of GHS 780 million ($70 million) on COVID-19 fumigation. This represents just 12% of the total expenditure.",
  "summary": "Investigation by Manasseh Azure Awuni A years-long investigation has revealed that the Auditor-General’s special audit into Ghana’s COVID-19 expenditure significantly understated a major cost incurred across multiple ministries. Evidence gathered points to a deliberate omission of hundreds of millions of cedis spent by entire ministries. The special audit was carried out in late 2022 upon […]",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 2,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "Adom Online",
        "title": "Auditing the Auditor-General: How special audit understated a COVID-19 expenditure",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/15/auditing-the-auditor-general-how-special-audit-understated-a-covid-19-7514171",
        "published": "2026-09-15T07:57:56.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}