GH₵13bn claims disallowed – Finance Ministry

The Ministry of Finance says it has saved the state approximately GHS13 billion following a nationwide audit of government arrears that uncovered a large volume of irregular and unverified claims inherited from the previous administration.

The Deputy Minister of Finance, Mr Thomas Nyarko Ampem, revealed that the extensive audit exercise conducted by the Audit Service, with support from private accounting firms, formed part of the government’s fiscal clean-up efforts to strengthen accountability and transparency in public financial management.

“Government is dealing with the arrears. The audited report presented to Cabinet shows that about GHS13 billion worth of claims have been disallowed, and that represents a major saving for the country,” Mr Ampem stated.

The Deputy Minister explained that the audit targeted the GHS67 billion arrears stock transferred from the former government, scrutinising thousands of payment claims submitted by contractors, suppliers and service providers across various sectors.

According to him, the audit identified multiple instances of inflated invoices, duplicate claims and unsupported payment requests, which led to their disallowance.

He stressed that the government was determined to pay only verified and validated debts, as part of its broader agenda to restore fiscal credibility.

Mr Ampem disclosed that provisions had already been made in the 2025 Budget to clear GHS13.7 billion of verified arrears, while the remainder would be settled progressively over the next four years.

“We are processing payments for those validated by the auditors, and we are strictly paying only verified claims,” he emphasised.

As part of its transparency initiative, the Ministry of Finance plans to publish the list of all rejected, verified and pending claims to keep the public informed.

Mr Ampem noted that some claims remained under review due to incomplete documentation or the unavailability of contractors to provide verification.

“The agreement we have with the auditors is that we will publish all those rejected and those pending verification,” he said, adding that this approach would help prevent corruption and improve public confidence in the government’s financial management systems.

Mr Ampem reiterated that the audit’s outcome reaffirmed the government’s commitment to tighten fiscal discipline, eliminate waste and protect public resources.

He said Cabinet would review the final audit report before its formal release, describing the process as a critical step in promoting fiscal responsibility and transparency.

“Only verified debts will be paid. This audit marks a turning point towards restoring accountability in public finances and ensuring that every cedi spent delivers value to Ghanaians,” he added.