The Ghana Audit Service has responded to comments by the University of Ghana chapter of the University Teachers Association of Ghana (UTAG-UG) about its report.
The Association of Ghana (UTAG-UG) had criticised the Auditor-General’s handling of the audit report involving the university, accusing the Audit Service of procedural and ethical violations.
But the service described them as “inappropriate and not grounded on facts.”
This comes in the wake of a press conference held by UTAG-UG on Tuesday, May 20, that disputed claims that the the University of Ghana overstated its employee compensation by GH¢59.2 million between 2022 and 2024.
According to a statement issued by the Audit Service, the publication and subsequent statements by UTAG-UG misrepresented the contents of a recent Special Audit Report titled “Recoveries Made from Disallowed Expenditure in the Auditor-General’s Reports from 2020–2023 and Payroll Savings as at 31st December 2024.”
[embedded content]The report, the Service clarified, was not meant to accuse the university of financial misconduct but rather to highlight recoveries and savings made through routine verification processes.
“The public should disregard such calls by UTAG-UG,” the statement said.
“Our audits are conducted in accordance with internationally recognised standards, including the International Standards for Supreme Audit Institutions (ISSAIs), and applicable laws such as the 1992 Constitution, the Public Financial Management Act (2016), and the Audit Service Act (2000).”
The Audit Service stressed that its reports are intended to help institutions correct deviations from financial regulations, not to malign their reputation.
It noted that prior to the publication of the report, there had been multiple engagements between auditors and the University of Ghana’s management regarding payroll and compensation matters.
“Throughout the process, the audit team engaged the entity concerned, raising any deviations with them for their response before the final certificate was signed. It is therefore erroneous for UTAG-UG to assume otherwise,” the Service stated.
Further, the Service stressed that disallowed payroll figures often result from a lack of financial clearance or unapproved allowances and are recorded as savings to the government, not necessarily as financial improprieties by the institutions involved.
Days ago, JoyNews also responded to accusations of unprofessional reporting leveled by the UTAG-UG insisting its reporting was accurate and based on verified findings from the official audit report, which alleged UG overstated employee compensation by GH¢59.2 million between 2022 and 2024.
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