The Public Accounts Committee (PAC) of Parliament has come down hard on the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) after uncovering massive unapproved expenditure totaling over GHC180 million in the 2023 fiscal year.
At a sitting on Tuesday, October 28, the committee directed that all staff and managers responsible for the unauthorized spending be referred to the Attorney General for prosecution, describing the situation as a case of “gross financial indiscipline.”
According to the 2023 Auditor-General’s Report, ECG overspent its approved budget across thirteen expenditure lines without seeking the mandatory clearance from its Board of Directors. The report revealed that while the company had budgeted GHC2.8 million for staff fuel, GHC4.2 million for communication, GHC40 million for consultancy, and GHC3.1 million for stakeholder engagements, the actual expenditures ballooned to GHC3.6 million, GHC7.9 million, GHC58.6 million, and GHC49 million respectively.
Committee Ranking Member, Samuel Atta-Mills, expressed outrage at the spending pattern, questioning how such excesses could occur in a company that continues to seek tariff increases from consumers.
“Staff fuel — did they drive around the world? The budget was 2.8 million, you spent 3.6 million. Communication — 4.2 million budgeted, 7.9 million spent. Consultancy — 40 million budgeted, 58.6 million spent. Stakeholders’ expenses — 3.1 million budgeted, 49 million spent. All without board approval, and you still want to raise tariffs?” he said.
Mr. Atta-Mills described the conduct of the managers as reckless and unacceptable, adding that it undermines public trust in the power distributor and demonstrates deep-seated lapses in financial governance.
“This is financial indiscipline of the highest order. Those responsible must be referred to the Attorney General for prosecution,” he stressed.
The revelations add to growing public frustration over ECG’s financial management practices and operational inefficiencies, which have been under scrutiny amid frequent power outages and mounting debts.
Observers say the PAC’s directive marks a significant step toward accountability and fiscal discipline in Ghana’s state-owned enterprises — a sector often criticized for weak oversight and recurring audit infractions.
