Audit Service Refutes Claims of Apology Over GHS 138.91bn Public Debt Overstatement
The Audit Service has firmly denied issuing any apology over claims of overstating the country’s public debt by GH¢138.91 billion in its 2024 Auditor-General’s Report.
In a statement released on Tuesday, July 24, 2025, the Service refuted a widely circulated publication attributed to Ghana Today, which falsely quoted the Auditor-General as admitting to an “oversight” in the report and offering an apology.
“We overstated Ghana’s total public debt by GH¢138.9 billion in our 2024 report. We apologise for this oversight – Auditor-General,” the publication claimed.
But the Audit Service has labelled the report as a deliberate distortion of the facts, clarifying that the cited GH¢138.91 billion variance is a standard audit observation arising from discrepancies between figures provided by the Controller and Accountant-General’s Department (CAGD) and the Ministry of Finance.
“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 Audit Service stated, emphasising that the analysis between pages 4 and 5 (paragraphs 13–18) of the 2024 Report on the Public Accounts of Ghana must not be misinterpreted.
Discrepancies in Debt Reporting
The report had identified a variance in total public debt figures: the Whole of Government Accounts prepared by the CAGD recorded GH¢1,087.61 billion, while the Ministry of Finance’s records showed a significantly lower figure of GH¢1,473.72 billion. This discrepancy of GH¢138.91 billion was flagged for review.
The Audit Service clarified that this formed part of its routine audit findings aimed at improving transparency and ensuring accountability in public financial management, not a computational error or misreporting by the Auditor-General.
Public Caution and Legal Basis
Describing the claims made by Ghana Today as “mischievous,” the Audit Service urged media houses and individuals to verify facts and exercise caution when citing its reports.
“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 said.
The Service reminded the public that all reports issued by the Auditor-General are submitted to Parliament in line with Article 187 (5) of the 1992 Constitution and published on its official website (www.auditgov.gh).
Parliamentary Concern
Meanwhile, Chairperson of the Public Accounts Committee (PAC), Abena Osei-Asare, described the reported GH¢138.91 billion variance in public debt figures as “no ordinary mistake,” calling for urgent scrutiny of the inconsistencies revealed in the audit.
According to the Committee’s analysis, the CAGD reported Ghana’s total public debt as GH¢876.01 billion, whereas the Ministry of Finance reported a lower figure of GH¢737.17 billion.
The unfolding controversy has once again highlighted persistent data inconsistencies in the government’s fiscal reporting architecture—raising questions about transparency, coordination between state institutions, and the implications for public debt management.
