Auditor-General Orders NSA to Refund GHc 180,948 over Unrealised Project

The Auditor-General Department has ordered the National Sports Authority (NSA) to refund GH¢180,494 supposedly earmarked for the management of the Baba Yara Stadium during the the 2017 National Sports Festival.

The directive for a refund follows a revelation that the NSA surcharged the Ghana Education Service (GES) GH¢203,688 to replace seats which were damaged during an inter-college sports competition at the stadium.

However, the NSA despite being paid the amount did not fix the seats as expected. The NSA rather used GH¢180,494 out of the total amount to organise the 2017 National Sports Festival, an audit report by the Auditor–General on the Sustainability of Sports Stadia in Ghana (2019) revealed.

Responding to the refund order in an interview with the Daily Graphic, the Director-General of the NSA, Prof. Peter Twumasi, said the Authority have now secured funds for the renovation of the entire stadium.

"The Auditor is right that if that work has not been carried out, then the NSA must make sure that we find funds to get it done for them, but as we speak, we have secured funds to renovate the entire stadium."

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He said extensive renovation works at the facility, which commenced in February this year ahead of the 63rd national Independence Day celebrations, were on course to be completed in October this year

He however explained that, the audit report was misleading as it failed to separate the regional office of the NSA from the head office.

He said the said money was used to organise the National Sports Festival in 2017 at the same venue after some organisations had failed to redeem sponsorship pledges for the competition.

"All the accounts of the NSA offices nationwide are linked to the head office accounts in Accra and they require the green light of the head office to apply such funds," Prof. Twumasi said.