Audit Service Denies Apologising for Debt Overstatement in 2024 Report
The Ghana Audit Service has firmly denied issuing any apology regarding the alleged overstatement of the country’s public debt by GH¢138.91 billion in its 2024 Auditor-General’s report.
In a statement signed by Ama Awotwe-Bosumafi, Assistant Auditor-General in charge of the Public Relations Unit, the Service described recent media reports, particularly by Ghana Today, as “inaccurate and mischievous.”
“There has not been any such apology or statement by the Office regarding information published in our reports,” the statement clarified.
The Audit Service explained that the reported GH¢138.91 billion variance stemmed from a review of public debt figures from two government agencies:
- GH¢876.08 billion reported by the Controller and Accountant-General’s Department (CAGD),
- Compared to GH¢737.17 billion reported by the Ministry of Finance.
According to the Audit Service, this discrepancy was due to:
- Data aggregation errors,
- Inclusion of unverified obligations, and
- Weak coordination between the Ministry of Finance, CAGD, and COCOBOD in consolidating debt figures.
The publication in question 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 – Auditor-General.”
The Service categorically rejected this claim and urged Ghanaians to disregard such misrepresentations.
“The information stated by Ghana Today is inaccurate… We urge all media organisations and individuals wishing to republish any portion of our reports to verify the facts.”
The Audit Service reiterated that all its reports are submitted to Parliament in accordance with Article 187(5) of the 1992 Constitution and are accessible on the Audit Service’s official website.
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