KTU management given 90 days to retrieve GH¢800k paid to absent staff

 

The Public Accounts Committee (PAC) has given the management of Koforidua Technical University (KTU) a 90-day ultimatum to recover GH¢800,000 in salary-related infractions cited in the Auditor-General’s Report, or risk personally refunding the amount.

According to the report, five members of staff of the university had been receiving salaries for nearly two years despite being absent from duty. Some of the affected staff were reportedly outside the country.

Appearing before the Committee on Thursday, November 6, 2025, the Pro Vice-Chancellor, Professor Richard Ohene Asiedu, explained that the university had taken steps to trace the affected staff members, some of whom were on partial study leave or had left the institution.

“We have been making efforts to contact some of the lecturers, who are either out of the country or pursuing studies. So far, out of the total amount owed, the university has been able to recover less than GH¢20,000,” he told the Committee.

However, the Committee expressed dissatisfaction with the university’s handling of the situation, describing the incident as a case of negligence and weak internal controls.

The Deputy Chairman of the PAC, Samuel Atta Mills, criticised the university for allowing such irregularities to persist and for failing to enforce accountability measures.

“This is government money — our money. GH¢817,000 on separated staff, and yet you cannot contact any of these people or produce a payment plan. It looks to me like planned chaos,” he said.

He further noted that three out of the five affected staff members did not sign bonds of agreement requiring them to return after their study leave, a situation he described as “a conspiracy to defraud the state.”

Mr. Atta Mills directed the university to recover the outstanding funds within 90 days, warning that management would be held personally responsible if the directive was not met.

“We will make it easier for you. We want you to collect these monies in 90 days. However you do it, with all your lapses and everything — you have guarantors out there. Within 90 days, we want our money,” he ordered.