Ghana calls for stronger audits after claims of losses of 100 billion cedis — MyJoyOnline
In Accra, Ghana’s capital, the Audit Service was urged to fully exercise its constitutional powers to disallow expenditures and impose financial surcharges on offenders. According to participants in the event, this should deter the unlawful use of public funds. The service was also advised to modernize its work through digital systems and artificial intelligence-powered audit technologies.
Statement on financial losses
The calls were made on Tuesday during the launch of the audit for the 2026 financial year by Professor Francis Dodoo, the president’s adviser on the National Anti-Corruption Programme, and Dr David Ofosu-Dorte, senior partner at AB & David Africa. The event was reported by MyJoyOnline.
According to Dodoo, data from Auditor-General’s reports indicate that the country has lost 100 billion Ghanaian cedis over the past six years due to financial irregularities. He said that lenient treatment of offenders weakens the protection of state resources. According to him, family, friendship, church and political ties, as well as lobbying, are sometimes used to secure reduced penalties or complete exemption from liability.
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Dodoo called on the Auditor-General to set sufficiently stringent financial surcharge rates that are higher than current Treasury bill rates. In his view, this would strengthen the deterrent effect and help recover public funds needed for schools, hospitals, water supply systems and other social needs.
Digital auditing and institutional cooperation
Ofosu-Dorte described the Auditor-General’s constitutional powers to disallow expenditures and impose financial surcharges as important tools for accountability, trust and sustainability in public financial management. He called for improving the quality of audit reports and involving relevant institutions and specialists in the audit process so that penalties have a legal basis and do not turn into persecution.
He also stressed the need for the Audit Service to cooperate with the police, internal audit organizations, the Special Prosecutor and the newly established Value for Money office. Ofosu-Dorte supported the accelerated introduction of digital technologies, including AI-supported accounting systems, to improve monitoring, tracking and reporting. He also recommended expanding auditors’ competency requirements to include law, engineering, quantity surveying and procurement.
