CAGD denies social media claims that GH¢11bn has already been spent on Accra-Kumasi Expressway

• The Controller and Accountant-General's Department has denied claims that the government has already spent nearly GH¢11 billion on the Accra-Kumasi Expressway before construction begins.

• The Department clarified that the funds remain in a dedicated Bank of Ghana account and have not been paid to any contractor or used for construction works.

• CAGD explained that the amount appears as government expenditure only because of standard public accounting procedures, urging the public not to mistake the accounting entry for actual spending.

The Controller and Accountant-General's Department (CAGD) has dismissed claims circulating on social media that the government has already spent almost GH¢11 billion on the Accra-Kumasi Expressway even though major construction work has not started.

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According to the Department, the claim is based on a misunderstanding of how government accounting works, stressing that the money has not been paid to any contractor and has not been used for construction.

In a statement issued on July 16, the CAGD explained that the funds allocated for the flagship road project are still being held in a dedicated Bank of Ghana account and will only be used when the project moves into the construction phase.

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The Department explained that the confusion arose because the money was transferred from the government's Consolidated Fund to Accra-Kumasi Expressway Limited, the company established to implement the project.

Under Ghana's public financial management rules, such a transfer is recorded as government expenditure in the central government's accounts, even though the receiving institution has not yet spent the money.

The CAGD noted that the same accounting principle applies to transfers made to public institutions such as the District Assemblies Common Fund (DACF), GETFund and the National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA).

The Department also clarified that the ongoing right-of-way clearing being undertaken by the Ghana Armed Forces is only a preparatory activity and is not being financed from the earmarked GH¢11 billion.

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According to the CAGD, the Accra-Kumasi Expressway is being implemented through Accra-Kumasi Expressway Limited, a Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) established by the Ghana Infrastructure Investment Fund (GIIF) to help avoid the funding delays, project overruns and implementation challenges that have affected major infrastructure projects in the past.

The Controller and Accountant-General's Department urged the public not to interpret the accounting records as proof that construction funds have already been spent.

It maintained that the accounting treatment used for the project is fully consistent with Ghana's Public Financial Management framework and standard government accounting practices.