A massive verification exercise conducted by the Ghana Audit Service, in partnership with EY and PwC, has exposed a multi-million-cedi scandal involving the overpayment and irregular compensation of a transportation firm contracted under the Farmer Food Relief and Recovery Programme in 2024.

Deputy Minister for Finance, Thomas Nyarko Ampem, presenting the Auditor-General’s report on GH¢68.7 billion in government arrears to Parliament on Tuesday, 10th March 2026, highlighted how state resources were syphoned off through inflated and fictitious transport claims.

The breakdown of the transport scam

The audit focused on a contract tasked with transporting 134,000 metric tonnes (MT) of maize and rice to farmers nationwide, valued at a total contract sum of GH¢115.2 million. The investigation revealed that the company systematically overcharged for work it never performed:

• Under-delivery, Overpayment: The firm actually transported only 35,000 MT of grain, which, according to the contract, should have cost the state only GH¢30.9 million. Instead, the company received GH¢50 million.
• Payment in Kind (for no work): In a brazen move, the company was given an additional 7,311 metric tonnes of rice, equivalent to 14,622 bags (50kg each), valued at GH¢11.7 million. This was provided as "payment in lieu of cash" for work that was never executed.
• Total Payout: These irregular actions brought the company’s total payout to GH¢61.7 million for a job only partially completed.

The Auditor-General’s intervention

The scale of the exploitation was further evidenced by the Ministry of Food and Agriculture’s attempt to claim even more funds. Following the initial overpayments, the Ministry requested an additional GH¢65.2 million in payments to the same transport company, Mr Ampem explained.

The Auditor-General, having identified the discrepancy between the work claimed and the work performed, formally rejected the request, blocking a further multi-million-cedi drain on the national treasury.

Restoring fiscal discipline

The Deputy Minister noted that the rejection of these claims is part of the "decisive break" from the financial mismanagement that plagued the 2024 fiscal year. He reiterated the Ministry of Finance's new stance:

“Going forward, no payment will be made without full verification, no commitment will be entered into without budgetary allocation, and no officer, regardless of rank, will be shielded from accountability."

This transport scandal adds to the mounting list of irregularities linked to the Ministry of Food and Agriculture, following earlier revelations regarding missing rice stocks and fraudulent maize receipt certifications.

The Attorney-General has been tasked with pursuing the recovery of these funds and holding the responsible officials and the transportation firm accountable for the financial loss to the state.