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Financial irregularities recorded across five audited public-sector areas in Ghana declined by 62.9 per cent in 2025, falling from approximately GH¢20.72 billion in 2024 to GH¢7.69 billion, Deputy Minister for Finance Thomas Nyarko Ampem has disclosed.
The reduction represents a decrease of about GH¢13.03 billion and surpassed the government’s target of reducing financial irregularities by 50 per cent during the year.
Nyarko Ampem disclosed the figures during an engagement on the 2025 Auditor-General’s Reports with Chief Directors, Chief Executive Officers and heads of covered entities.
He described the reduction as a significant improvement in public financial management and attributed the progress to stronger internal controls, greater accountability and increased attention to compliance.
“I am pleased to report that, taken together, financial irregularities across these five sectors declined from approximately GH¢20.72 billion in 2024 to GH¢7.69 billion in 2025. This represents a reduction of approximately GH¢13.03 billion, or 62.9 per cent. This is a significant achievement,” he said.
The Deputy Minister noted that the performance exceeded the government’s 50 per cent reduction target by 12.9 percentage points, highlighting the potential impact of sustained efforts to strengthen financial controls across public institutions.
According to him, the results demonstrate that improvements in public financial management can deliver measurable outcomes when institutions prioritise stronger control systems and accountability.
“This improvement demonstrates that when there is deliberate attention to public financial management, stronger controls and greater accountability, measurable results can be achieved,” Nyarko Ampem said.
The engagement centred on the findings contained in the Auditor-General’s 2025 reports and the responsibilities of heads of public institutions in addressing identified weaknesses.
Participants were expected to examine areas where financial controls remain inadequate, strengthen compliance with applicable financial management requirements and introduce measures to prevent the recurrence of irregularities.
The decline in reported irregularities also underscores the importance of effective governance, risk management and compliance mechanisms in ensuring that public resources are properly managed and accounted for.
For government institutions, the next challenge will be to sustain the improvement by strengthening internal controls, implementing audit recommendations and ensuring that identified breaches are addressed promptly.
The government’s ability to maintain the downward trend will ultimately depend on whether the gains recorded in 2025 can be embedded into the routine financial management and accountability processes of public institutions.
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