Mustapha Ussif rejects findings in GH¢580m African Games audit

Former Sports Minister Mustapha Ussif has broken his silence after a sweeping forensic audit into the 2023 African Games linked top officials to nearly GH¢580 million in questionable spending.

In a strongly worded response issued Tuesday, Mr Ussif distanced himself from the findings of the audit, insisting he should not be blamed for any irregularities uncovered during Ghana’s organisation of the continental sporting event.

The former minister said he had only recently become aware of the report and rejected suggestions that he played any improper role in the expenditure cited by auditors.

His reaction comes amid mounting scrutiny over how billions of cedis allocated for the Games were spent.

The audit, commissioned by President John Dramani Mahama after returning to office, examined contracts, procurement processes and payments linked to the Games hosted in Accra in 2023.

What auditors found was a pattern of inflated costs, unsupported payments and procurement breaches running through several aspects of the event.

The report estimates that about GH¢579 million could potentially be recovered from expenditure auditors considered questionable or improperly authorised.

Among the biggest concerns raised were payments made without sufficient documentation, contracts allegedly awarded outside competitive procurement rules and projects whose final costs far exceeded original estimates.

Auditors also flagged instances where suppliers and contractors were reportedly paid for services or equipment that investigators struggled to verify.

Mr Ussif, alongside former Chief Director William Kartey and former Local Organising Committee Chairman Dr Kwaku Ofosu-Asare, was named in recommendations for possible sanctions and recovery actions under the Public Procurement Act.

But while the report raises serious financial concerns, it stopped short of accusing any of the officials of criminal conduct.

For many Ghanaians, however, the revelations have reopened debate about the true cost of hosting the African Games, an event once promoted as a symbol of national pride and sporting ambition.