UG overstated its employee compensations by GH¢59.2m between 2022 and 2024 - Auditor General’s Report

A special payroll verification audit report by the Auditor General reveals issues at the University of Ghana. The University was the biggest offender in inflating salary claims among government institutions.

The report states that the University accounted for GH¢59.2 million, or 68%, of the GH¢86.86 million saved through payroll audits from 2022 to 2024.

The audit compared employee compensation claims with verified payments. It found large discrepancies at the University, especially in 2024, an election year.

From 2022 to 2024, the University submitted salary claims totaling GH¢1.09 billion. However, only GH¢1.03 billion was approved after verification, showing GH¢59.24 million in overstatements.

Breakdown of savings by year:

The report also discusses broader financial recoveries based on recommendations from previous Auditor General reports from 2020 to 2023. This includes disallowances and payroll savings up to December 31, 2024.

Overall, the Auditor-General flagged GH¢38.9 billion for recovery. Yet, only GH¢12.7 billion, about 32.6%, has been retrieved so far.

Although payroll irregularities are a smaller part of flagged funds, issues at the University of Ghana raise public concern about financial accountability in tertiary institutions.