Audit Service recovers over GH¢18bn in public funds since 2022 and 2026 – Auditor-General

The Auditor-General, Dr Pamela Graham, said the Audit Service recovered more than GH¢18 billion in public funds between 2022 and 2026 through its audit activities.

According to her, the Audit Service also helped save the country GH¢11.7 billion in 2025 alone by identifying and preventing wrongful payments.

Speaking at the African Organisation of Public Accounts Committees Conference, Dr Graham said there was a need for public institutions to implement corrective measures based on audit findings to strengthen accountability and improve the management of public funds.

She explained that audit reports should go beyond merely identifying financial irregularities after they occur and instead serve as a basis for strengthening internal controls and informing policy formulation.

“From 2022 to date, we have actually recovered over 18 billion Ghana cedis from the work of the Auditor-General. We have saved the country about 11.7 billion from wrongful payments only in just in 2025,” she said.

“Financial statements or financial audits should not be viewed just as historic detective instruments, but be seen as providing strategic intelligence that helps future control implementations and policy formulations.”

Dr Graham said the impact of auditing should not be measured solely by the identification of financial irregularities, but also by how effectively institutions use audit findings to prevent similar occurrences.

She noted that translating audit findings into policy and institutional reforms would help strengthen governance, improve accountability and ensure the prudent use of public resources.

The Auditor-General therefore called for greater attention to the implementation of audit recommendations, stressing that the information generated through financial audits could play a critical role in improving public sector management and preventing future losses.