The Editor of Newscenta Newspaper, Elvis Darko, has urged the government to expand investigations into all revenue assurance contracts signed by successive administrations. His call follows the recent termination of agreements between the Government of Ghana and Strategic Mobilisation Ghana Limited (SML).
Mr. Darko said several governments had hired revenue assurance companies to address leakages in state revenue collection. He argued that if the Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP) found SML’s operations unnecessary or problematic, then similar contracts in sectors such as energy and telecommunications should also be reviewed.
“If we want to do this SML thing, and we think we want to save the state some money, then it is not only SML we have to go after. Every revenue assurance contract must be looked at,” he said.
Mr. Darko noted that while such companies can help improve state revenue collection, their engagement terms must be fair and transparent. He emphasized that payments should not be based on gross revenue already collected by state agencies before the companies’ involvement. Instead, he suggested that compensation should depend on the additional revenue generated through their work.
“If a company is collecting an amount before the revenue assurance company is engaged, you cannot pay the new company from that same revenue,” he explained. “It should be based on the extra money the assurance company helps the agency to collect. That way, we will have a better revenue assurance system.”
Mr. Darko’s remarks follow President John Dramani Mahama’s directive on October 31, 2025, to terminate all contracts between the government and SML after the OSP concluded its investigation into the company’s dealings with the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA).
