The Auditor-General’s Office has withdrawn a significant error contained in its nationwide payroll audit report, acknowledging that it wrongly linked GH¢427,995,661.40 in unearned salaries to a single public servant, Frank Oliver Kpodo.
In a statement issued on April 21, 2026, the Office clarified that Mr Kpodo did not receive the said amount. It explained that the figure was instead associated with payroll discrepancies involving 3,476 unaccounted staff under the Ministry of Education.
“We wish to state that the amount attributed to Mr Kpodo above was due to a transpositional error,” the statement, signed by Assistant Director of Audit Frederick Lokko, noted.
The clarification follows widespread public attention triggered by the original audit report dated November 20, 2025, which suggested that one individual had received close to GH¢428 million in unearned salary payments.
The Auditor-General’s Office said the misreporting had caused reputational harm and unnecessary public scrutiny for Mr Kpodo. It subsequently issued a direct apology to him.
“We offer our most sincere and unreserved apologies to Mr Frank Oliver Kpodo for the distress and unwarranted public scrutiny this error may have caused,” the statement added.
The Office also extended apologies to the government, the people of Ghana, and the Controller and Accountant-General’s Department over the error.
Beyond the correction, the revised audit findings highlight broader payroll irregularities across the public sector. According to the updated figures, the Ministry of Education recorded the highest number of anomalies, with 3,476 unaccounted staff amounting to GH¢427,995,661.40.
The Ministry of Health followed with 1,363 unaccounted staff valued at GH¢166,869,874.19, while the Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development recorded 597 staff anomalies worth GH¢84,777,594.97.
In total, the audit identified 6,270 unaccounted staff across 34 public institutions, with the combined financial implication put at GH¢801,808,427.04.
