The Electricity Company of Ghana faces parliamentary scrutiny after spending GH¢333 million against an approved budget of GH¢144 million, with GH¢189.2 million lacking necessary approvals, according to the 2024 Auditor-General’s Report.
ECG management appeared before Parliament’s Public Accounts Committee (PAC) to answer questions about the massive budget overrun exposed in the audit report. The revelations come as Ghanaians continue protesting high electricity bills and demanding tariff reductions.
Ranking member Samuel Atta Mills condemned what he called blatant fiscal indiscipline, citing specific examples of excessive spending. Staff fuel costs ballooned from a budgeted GH¢2.8 million to GH¢3.6 million actual expenditure.
“Did they drive around the world?” Mills asked sarcastically during the PAC session.
The pattern of overspending extended across multiple budget lines, according to the audit findings. Communication expenses reached GH¢7.9 million against a GH¢4.2 million allocation. Stakeholder expenses exploded from GH¢3.1 million to GH¢49 million, while publicity costs and overseas travel similarly exceeded their budgets.
Mills demanded that sanctions under the Public Financial Management Act be applied to responsible officers. He called for the Attorney-General to prosecute those involved in the unauthorized spending.
The PAC hearing has intensified public pressure on ECG, linking the financial mismanagement to operational inefficiencies that have contributed to controversial tariff increases. The utility company has not yet issued a public response to the audit findings or explained how the spending overruns occurred.
