Ghana’s Ministry of Finance has denied withholding information on the utilisation of the Annual Budget Funding Amount (ABFA) from the Public Interest and Accountability Committee (PIAC), saying it provided the committee with petroleum revenue receipts, distribution data and explanations of how the funds were being managed.
The dispute follows PIAC’s 2026 Semi-Annual Report, which said it could not make findings and recommendations on the utilisation of ABFA and Ghana National Petroleum Corporation (GNPC) allocations because the relevant information had not been received before the report was finalised.
Ghana’s petroleum receipts rose by 52 per cent to US561.41million in the first half of 2026, from US370.34 million in the same period last year.
In a statement issued on Friday, October 23, the Ministry rejected the suggestion that it had withheld information from the committee.
“The exclusion of ABFA utilisation data from PIAC’s report should therefore not be presented as evidence that the Ministry withheld information,” it said.
PIAC outlines requests for missing data
According to PIAC’s report, the committee requested petroleum revenue allocation and utilisation information from the Ministry in July 2026 and followed up with reminders.
PIAC said it renewed its request for ABFA utilisation data covering January to June during a September 14 meeting to validate its draft semi-annual report. The committee said the request was not honoured and the Ministry was not represented at that meeting.
The absence of the information meant PIAC could not complete its assessment of how ABFA and GNPC allocations were utilised during the period.
The Ministry, however, said its officials participated in a virtual validation workshop and held in-person meetings with PIAC, during which they explained petroleum revenue receipts, distributions and the arrangements governing ABFA utilisation.
Expressway funding at centre of explanation
The Ministry said the government had ring-fenced ABFA resources for the Accra–Kumasi Expressway rather than spread the funds across several projects.
Citing paragraph 572 of the 2026 Mid-Year Fiscal Policy Review, it said all funds allocated to the expressway, including the total ABFA realised in 2026, had been set aside for construction once the contract was awarded.
According to the Ministry, the decision follows PIAC’s recommendation that petroleum revenues should not be spread thinly across numerous projects with limited economic impact. It said concentrating the resources on the expressway was intended to support a major infrastructure investment with national benefits and value for money.
Ministry addresses District Assemblies’ allocation
The Ministry also addressed the five per cent share of ABFA due to the District Assemblies Common Fund (DACF).
It said the allocation was being paid from the Consolidated Fund and maintained that Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies had not been shortchanged by the decision to ring-fence ABFA resources for the expressway.
The Ministry reaffirmed its commitment to providing PIAC with information required for its oversight work. It said petroleum revenue management details would continue to be published through the Annual Report on Petroleum Funds, Petroleum Reconciliation Reports, Budget Statements and other fiscal reports.
