By: Kweku Bolton
The Ghana Anti-Corruption Coalition (GACC) has raised concerns about lack of transparency and accountability in the management of petroleum revenues, which it noted, continue to undermine development projects across the country due to weak oversight.
This was revealed at a National Multi-Stakeholder Advocacy Forum, which forms part of the project dubbed, “From Disclosure to Impact – Mobilising Local Civil Society to Verify Published Extractives Data and Advocate for Equitable, Accountable Spend of Funds,” The idea is to strengthen citizen participation and oversight in the management of petroleum revenues, particularly those allocated through the Annual Budget Funding Amount (ABFA).
The project, supported by the Africa Centre for Energy Policy, also sought to ensure that oil revenues are effectively utilized to support national development. In a remark, Programs Officer at GACC, Samuel Harrisson Cudjoe, said many projects were implemented without citizen input.
Moreover, local assemblies lacked access to contract details. “The citizens who live in the districts don’t make any inputs into the kinds of projects,” he noted “the absence of contract documents made it impossible to track timelines, budgets, or contractors,” he added.
The coalition’s research revealed that oil revenues were spread thinly across multiple projects, many of which were delayed, abandoned, or poorly executed. In a real case scenario, a road project at Konongo in the Ashanti Region, deteriorated within days of completion, with no documentation available to identify the contractor.
Other examples included a dilapidated toilet facility at a school in Ajoso Besinase and a street lighting project in Kumasi where no lights were installed despite claims of completion.
In Nzema East, Esiama, a market project that began years ago remain stalled. The site lacks toilet and washroom facilities, while weeds and rubbish have overtaken the area. Traders complain bitterly about the delays, noting that the shops provided are too small to meet their needs.
The research further revealed that most projects had no documentation indicating when they began or when they were expected to be completed. Records of funding sources were missing, and even the signboards meant to display basic project details had been removed.
A parallel report by the Local Accountability Network (LANET), presented by Philip Duah of the ABAK Foundation, echoed these concerns. LANET found that communities were routinely excluded from project planning and oversight, leaving contractors unaccountable.
“Government can do better,” Duah said. “We are the citizens, we face the problems, and we suffer from them. The government should consult us, involve us, and empower us with information so we can hold contractors accountable.”
Both GACC and LANET are calling for urgent reforms, including the activation of social accountability units, mandatory display of project signboards, and greater citizen participation in planning. They argue that without access to basic project information such as scope, timelines, and budgets communities cannot monitor progress or hold officials responsible.
The push for transparency comes amid scrutiny of Ghana’s public finances. The Auditor-General’s Office recently clarified reports of “cash irregularities,” stressing that such findings often reflect procedural lapses rather than outright theft. These irregularities typically involve expenditures outside approved budget allocations, missing documentation, or failures to follow procurement rules.
Civil society leaders insist that while Ghana has made progress in publishing extractives data, the real challenge lies in ensuring that disclosed information translates into tangible benefits for citizens.
For many, the demand is clear: petroleum revenues must be managed with transparency, accountability, and community involvement to restore public trust and deliver meaningful development.
