A major financial scandal has been averted following a rigorous audit of government arrears, which uncovered a staggering GH¢159 million in unfounded claims purportedly meant for teacher trainee allowances.

The disclosure was made in Parliament on Tuesday, 10th March 2026, by the Deputy Minister of Finance, Thomas Nyarko Ampem, who delivered a statement on behalf of the Minister of Finance, Dr. Cassiel Ato Forson.

The statement detailed the findings of an exhaustive verification exercise conducted by the Ghana Audit Service, in collaboration with global audit firms EY and PwC, to validate a colossal GH¢68.7 billion in reported government debt for 2024.

The ‘Ghost’ Trainee Debt

The audit focused on verifying unpaid Interim Payment Certificates (IPCs), invoices, and Bank Transfer Advices (BTAs) across various government sectors.

One of the most alarming findings concerned the Ministry of Education, which had initially reported unpaid teacher trainee allowances totalling GH¢160 million under the Ghana Tertiary Education Commission (GTEC).

However, when auditors cross-referenced these claims with GTEC’s internal records, the truth emerged: there were, in fact, no outstanding arrears for these allowances as of December 2024.

Saving the public purse

The Deputy Minister highlighted that the audit process was the sole barrier between the public purse and a massive financial loss. Had the audit not been conducted with such scrutiny, the state would have been compelled to disburse funds for debts that did not exist.

“When auditors engaged GTEC, the agency confirmed that as of December 2024, there were no outstanding arrears. Over GH¢159 million would have been lost, but for this audit,” Mr. Ampem stated.

Systemic Plunder

This revelation is part of a broader, disturbing trend of "systemic plunder" identified within Ghana’s public financial management system.

As part of a massive validation exercise, the government has already rejected GH¢8.1 billion in claims submitted by various Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs) due to reasons ranging from lack of supporting documentation to outright fabrication.

The Ministry’s decision to halt payments in early 2025 has been credited as a "bold move" that saved the country from disbursing funds for fraudulent claims.

Parliament is now expected to debate the findings, with many lawmakers calling for a full-scale investigation into the public officers responsible for submitting these baseless claims to the Ministry of Finance.