The Auditor-General has recommended that former Minister for Youth and Sports, Mustapha Ussif, be held responsible for the recovery of GHS 579 million linked to Ghana’s hosting of the 13th Africa Games, following a forensic audit that uncovered widespread financial irregularities in the organisation of the event.
Also named in the recovery recommendation are former Chief Director, William Kartey, and former Local Organising Committee (LOC) Chairman, Dr. Kwaku Ofosu-Asare, who auditors repeatedly linked to major cost centres of the Games’ delivery.
The audit, commissioned by President John Dramani Mahama in 2025, found evidence of cost inflation, unsupported payments, undelivered goods, and contractual deviations across catering, accommodation, transport, equipment procurement, infrastructure, and administrative spending.
While the Auditor-General did not make criminal findings, it recommended that the three officials be held jointly responsible for the recovery of GHS 579,114,352.24, alongside $44,354,881.77 and €629,070.
In a separate reference, Director-General of the Ghana Broadcasting Corporation, Prof. Amin Alhassan, was also cited in relation to a broadcast training contract connected to the Games.
The audit found irregularities spanning nearly every aspect of expenditure for the continental multi-sport event, describing a pattern of systemic cost inflation and unsupported transactions.
Among the key findings were $2.8 million in non-feeding costs embedded in catering contracts without adequate documentation, €572,040 in overpricing of anti-doping services, and $840,000 in inflated accommodation expenses.
Auditors also flagged more than GHS 30 million in transport and logistics-related irregularities, alongside payments for sports equipment that were either undelivered or lacked proper specifications.
Additional concerns included GHS 15.09 million in unrelated payments and GHS 12 million in infrastructure defects at key venues such as the Aquatic Centre and Legon Stadium.
The most significant anomalies were recorded in major engineering and construction contracts for the Borteyman Sports Complex, University of Ghana Stadium, and Legon Sports Village, where auditors flagged nearly GHS 468 million in unjustified variations, inflated claims, and contract deviations.
The Auditor-General said the findings point to extensive financial irregularities across the entire delivery chain of the Games and recommended full recovery of the flagged amounts from the named officials.
