The Ghana Statistical Service (GSS) on 4th November 2021 paid an amount of GH¢60,813.98 to Samba Geospatial Limited for staff training but there was no such training.

This was disclosed in the 2021 Auditor General’s report.

The report said there was no evidence that the training was carried out by Samba Geospatial Limited to merit the payment.

Regulation 78 of the Public Financial Management Regulations, 2019 (L.I. 2378) states that, a Principal Spending Officer of a covered entity is personally responsible for ensuring in respect of each payment of that covered entity, the validity, accuracy and legality of the claim for the payment, certificates for work done and any other supporting documents exists.

In the light of this, the Auditor-General in his report recommended that “in the absence of evidence of training by Samba Geospatial Limited, the gross amount paid should be recovered from the company, failing which the amount paid should be refunded by the Government Statistician.”