PAC summons officials over GH¢8.2m toilet contracts with no work done
The Public Accounts Committee (PAC) of the Parliament of Ghana has ordered the summoning of two senior public officials to account for GH¢8.2 million in toilet construction contracts after key documents were not produced at a hearing.
The directive followed the appearance of the Minister for Local Government, Chieftaincy and Religious Affairs, Ahmed Ibrahim, before the committee on Wednesday, April 1, 2026, to respond to queries arising from the Auditor-General’s special audit report on outstanding government claims and commitments as at December 31, 2024.
The amount in question relates to a “toilet-for-all” programme initiated around 2019 under the former Ministry of Sanitation and Water Resources, involving contracts for the construction of 300 household toilets in Kumasi and 200 in Tamale.
The Ministry’s Chief Accountant, Solomon Incho, told the committee that although contractors received mobilisation payments, they failed to commence work on site.
He said a monitoring team later inspected the locations and found that no work had been undertaken, prompting moves to cancel and reassign the contracts.
Mr Ibrahim informed the committee that efforts to retrieve documents for audit purposes were unsuccessful, as officials of the defunct Sanitation Ministry indicated that the records had been transferred to the National Archives.
He described the explanation as unacceptable, noting that the transactions were relatively recent.
The minister identified two officials who handled the contracts and remain in public service: Theophilus Okine, now with the Ministry of Defence, and Bright Oduro Kwarteng, currently Director of Finance at the Ministry of Trade and Agribusiness.
Mr Incho further told the committee that no payments had been made in respect of the contracts due to the absence of supporting documentation.
He explained that although there were plans to cancel and repackage the contracts, the process was not completed before the Sanitation Ministry was dissolved.
Chairperson of the committee, Abena Osei-Asare, questioned why documents relating to such recent transactions would be archived and asked whether the move was intended to withhold information from auditors.
She also noted that the committee had requested all officials connected to the transactions to appear, adding that other ministries had complied with similar directives.
Mr Ibrahim acknowledged the concerns and cautioned against any perception of personal bias, given his previous role in opposition.
The committee subsequently directed its clerk to compile a comprehensive list of all officials and contractors involved for formal summons, with Mrs Osei-Asare stating that all persons linked to the transactions would be required to appear with relevant documentation.
The GH¢8.2 million forms part of a broader GH¢3.1 billion in unreconciled outstanding commitments presented by the ministry.
Mr Incho said the figure includes GH¢1.5 billion in sanitation-related claims processed through the Controller and Accountant-General’s Department without supporting documentation at the time of the audit, as well as GH¢1.2 billion for market construction projects at Black Star and Commerce, where payments were handled by the Ministry of Finance.
He added that GH¢171,475.81 related to the construction of senior staff bungalows for Regional Coordinating Councils had been excluded after the projects were confirmed to be complete.
The committee indicated that it would reconvene for a subsequent hearing involving the two directors, current ministry officials and representatives from the Ministry of Finance, with officials from the Auditor-General’s Department also expected to participate.
