Auditor-General Uncovers GH¢583m Irregularities In African Games Expenditure

Auditor-General uncovered procurement breaches, inflated contract sums, weak supervision systems and financial irregularities amounting to more than GH¢583 million in the financial administration of the 13th African Games. The report, signed by the Auditor-General, Johnson Akuamoah-Asiedu, concluded that the total quantified financial exposure arising from irregularities stood at GH¢583,008,680.92. The audit further identified procurement and administrative irregularities involving commitments exceeding GH¢2.7 billion.

The audit uncovered "pervasive financial, procurement, contract management, governance and supervision failures" across virtually all stages of the African Games project implementation. Auditors found that several contract sums were approved without itemised schedules, price reasonableness assessments, competitive procurement processes or proper reconciliation of quantities delivered. The audit revealed significant construction defects, poor workmanship, weak supervision and the use of non-conforming materials in some projects linked to the Games. The "May Action Plan" variation associated with the Borteyman Sports Complex project resulted in a 23.8 percent erosion in contract value.

The Auditor-General's report warned that the irregularities reflected entrenched institutional weaknesses within Ghana's public sector control systems. The report noted that the "magnitude, recurrence and cross-cutting nature" of the breaches pointed to structural deficiencies in institutional control environments. The audit urged government to treat the findings as a trigger for broad institutional reforms within public procurement and financial management systems.