The Public Accounts Committee (PAC) has disclosed massive overspending at the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG), revealing that the utility company exceeded its approved 2024 budget by GH₵189.2 million, spending GH₵333 million instead of the approved GH₵144 million.
Below is the detailed breakdown of the overruns:
1. Cleaning Expenses: Approved at GH₵2.8 million, but ECG spent GH₵10.4 million, an excess of GH₵7.6 million.
2. Honorarium Payments: Approved at GH₵3.8 million, actual expenditure stood at GH₵4.6 million, overspending by GH₵800,000.
3. Hotel Expenses: Budgeted at GH₵9.3 million, but GH₵12.2 million was spent, exceeding by GH₵2.9 million.
4. Staff Fuel: Approved at GH₵2.8 million, actual spending reached GH₵3.6 million, an overrun of GH₵800,000.
5. Communication Expenses: Budgeted at GH₵4.2 million, but GH₵7.9 million was spent, an excess of GH₵3.7 million.
6. Consultancy Fees: Approved at GH₵40 million, actual expenditure hit GH₵58.6 million, an overrun of GH₵18.6 million.
7. Industrial Relations: Budgeted at GH₵2 million, but GH₵13 million was spent, exceeding by GH₵11 million.
8. Stakeholder Engagement: Approved at GH₵3.1 million, actual spending soared to GH₵49 million, overshooting by GH₵45.9 million.
9. Publicity: Budgeted at GH₵5.7 million, but ECG spent GH₵21.8 million, exceeding by GH₵16.1 million.
10. Professional Fees and Subscriptions: Approved at GH₵731,000, actual expenditure was GH₵1.5 million, an excess of GH₵769,000.
11. Overseas Travel: Budgeted at GH₵14 million, but GH₵29.8 million was spent, overshooting by GH₵15.8 million.
12. Call Centre Expenses: Approved at GH₵23.5 million, actual spending rose to GH₵29.3 million, an excess of GH₵5.8 million.
Total Approved Budget: GH₵144 million
Total Actual Expenditure: GH₵333 million
Total Overspend: GH₵189.2 million
PAC REACTION
In response to the findings, Ranking Member of the PAC, Samuel Atta Mills, condemned the level of financial indiscipline at ECG, describing the spending as “reckless and unjustifiable.”
He questioned how such massive expenditures could be made without board approval, sarcastically asking, “Staff fuel, eii did they drive around the world?”
Source: www.Kumasimail/Kwadwo Owusu
