GhArticles.com Every News in Detail
The Audit Service has firmly denied reports suggesting it issued an apology for allegedly overstating Ghana’s total public debt by GH¢138.91 billion in the 2024 Auditor-General’s report.
In a statement released on Tuesday, July 24, the Service responded to a widely circulated claim published by Ghana Today on social media. The post falsely quoted the Auditor-General as saying, “We overstated Ghana’s total public debt by GH¢138.9 billion in our 2024 report. We apologise for this oversight.”
The Audit Service described the claim as entirely false and misleading. It clarified that the reported figure of GH¢138.91 billion, cited in the Auditor-General’s 2024 Report on the Public Accounts of Ghana, was a result of discrepancies between data from the Controller and Accountant-General’s Department (CAGD) and the Ministry of Finance—not an error committed by the Audit Service itself.
“The Office of the Auditor-General states that there has not been any such apology or statement by the Office regarding information published in our reports,” the Service stressed.
The report noted that the Whole of Government Accounts showed Ghana’s total public debt as GH¢1,087.61 billion, while records from the Ministry of Finance put the figure at GH¢1,473.72 billion—leading to questions about a GH¢138.91 billion difference. The Audit Service has maintained that identifying such inconsistencies is a standard part of its oversight role, not a mistake requiring an apology.
The statement cautioned the public and media outlets against misrepresenting facts contained in audit reports and urged all parties to rely on verified data.
“We urge all persons who intend to make a re-publication of our reports to be meticulous and serve their clients with verified facts and figures before any publication,” it added.
The Service also reminded the public that all Auditor-General reports are submitted to Parliament in accordance with Article 187 (5) of the 1992 Constitution and are available on the Audit Service website (www.auditgov.gh).
Meanwhile, Chairperson of Parliament’s Public Accounts Committee (PAC), Abena Osei-Asare, has described the GH¢138.91 billion discrepancy as a matter of serious concern that warrants urgent investigation. The Audit Report also highlighted another inconsistency, stating that the Controller and Accountant-General’s reported public debt stood at GH¢876.01 billion, whereas the Ministry of Finance reported GH¢737.17 billion.
