The 2023 Auditor-General's Report on Public Boards, Corporations, and Other Statutory Institutions is a stark warning to the nation, revealing systemic corruption and gross negligence within state enterprises. While the total irregularities across all public boards amounted to a staggering GH¢8.8 billion, the bulk of the most egregious breaches were concentrated in the energy sector, specifically the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) and the Ghana National Petroleum Corporation (GNPC).
The Electricity Company of Ghana is flagged for alarming non-compliance with the Public Procurement Act (Act 663). The audit evidence suggests a dangerous disregard for competitive bidding.
The audit exposes a worrying trend of prioritization of unapproved projects over critical national assignments.
GNPC was found to have paid GH¢4.9 million for a project—specifically the Royal Golf Club House—that did not have Parliamentary approval. Compounding this, GNPC’s Foundation was flagged for wasting GH¢2 million on projects left to deteriorate.
Parliament's Public Accounts Committee (PAC) must enforce the Disallowance and Surcharge provisions to compel the officers of ECG and GNPC responsible for these breaches to personally refund the state's losses.