Government Lost GH¢500 Million on “Needless” SML Contract – Manasseh
Journalist exposes GH¢500 million loss on redundant SML contract already covered by GRA systems.
- KPMG audit and Presidential White Paper confirmed SML’s services were unnecessary.
- Over GH¢500 million was paid for work already handled by GRA’s ICUMS.
- Audit findings led to contract cancellation, but payments had already been made.
Investigative journalist Manasseh Azure Awuni has accused the government of wasting over GH¢500 million on a redundant contract with Strategic Mobilisation Ghana Limited (SML) for services that were already functioning within the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) system.
Speaking on JoyPrime’s Prime Insight on Saturday, November 1, 2025, Awuni cited official government documents, including the KPMG audit report and the Presidential White Paper, as evidence that the SML contract was unnecessary and resulted in a massive financial loss to the state.
The revelations come on the heels of findings from the Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP), which described the SML deal as unjustified and hinted at potential prosecutions of key officials, including former Finance Minister Ken Ofori-Atta and former GRA Commissioner-General Rev. Dr. Ammishaddai Owusu-Amoah.
According to Awuni, the services for which SML was paid—External Price Verification and Transaction Audit—were already incorporated into the GRA’s Integrated Customs Management System (ICUMS).
“If you look at the KPMG report and former President Akufo-Addo’s White Paper, it clearly states these services were already built into the customs systems. They were not needed, yet over GH¢500 million was paid,” Awuni said.
He underscored that the redundancy of SML’s work was not a matter of opinion but an officially documented fact, validated by KPMG, the Presidency, and the OSP.
“Anyone can verify this by reading the White Paper on the KPMG audit. It confirms that the external price verification and transaction audit that SML claimed to provide were completely unnecessary,” he added.
Following the audit, the contracts were cancelled, but only after significant sums had already been disbursed. Awuni questioned why the payments continued despite the clear evidence of duplication and redundancy.
“We paid over GH¢500 million for something that KPMG, the Presidency, and the OSP all agreed we didn’t need. It’s a total loss to the state,” he lamented.
The exposé raises serious concerns about the oversight and accountability of public contracts and intensifies calls for action against those responsible for approving and maintaining the costly deal.
