Deputy Finance Minister Thomas Nyarko Ampem has detailed a plunder within the Ministry of Food and Agriculture (MOFA) after auditors uncovered discrepancies involving thousands of metric tons of rice and maize meant for national food relief programs.
Speaking in parliament on the 10th of March, 2026, the deputy minister of finance said the government in 2024 paid for 34,000 metric tons of rice to mitigate the effects of a nationwide dry spell. However, the MOFA reportedly received and distributed only 24,000 metric tons.
The Deputy Minister told Parliament that 10,000 metric tons of rice remain unaccounted for, despite the government having fully paid for the entire quantity.
The minister further revealed that irregularities in a separate contract for maize supply were that the government contracted a company to supply 100,000 metric tons of maize valued at 771.2 million Ghana cedis, but the audit discovered that only 11,900 metric tons were actually supplied and distributed.
Overpayment for Grain Transportation
The report also highlighted alleged overpayments involving the transportation of food supplies under the Farmer Food Relief and Recovery Programme.
According to Thomas Nyarko Ampem, a transportation company was contracted to move 134,000 metric tons of maize and rice to farmers across the country at a contract sum of GHS 115.2 million. However, the company transported only 35,000 metric tons of the grains.
The Deputy Minister said the actual transportation cost for the quantity delivered should have been GHS 30.9 million. Despite this, the company was reportedly paid GHS 50 million in cash.
In addition to the cash payment, the transport company also received 7,311 metric tons of rice, equivalent to 14,622 bags of 50kg rice, valued at GHS 11.7 million, as compensation for work that was not carried out.
This brought the total payment to the transport company to GHS 61.7 million, significantly higher than the value of the services delivered.
The discrepancies form part of a broader report presented to Parliament, highlighting suspected abuses within Ghana’s public financial management system.
