GH¢1.8m compensation for bird flu can’t be accounted for -Auditor General

More than GH¢1.8 million of the funds released to compensate poultry farmers affected by the outbreak of highly pathogenic avian influenza (bird flu) disease could not be accounted for, according to the 2022 Auditor General‘s report.

The sum amounted to 90.141% of the GH¢10.9 million released by the Ministry of Finance to compensate farmers who lost their birds to disease between 2015 and 2018.

“The Ministry of Finance released an amount of GH¢1,999,768.10 for the payment of compensation to farmers affected by the outbreak of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza disease from 2015 to 2018.

“We noted that only GH¢191,730.00 was paid to 10 farmers, leaving GH¢1,808,038.10 unaccounted for,” the 2022 Auditor General’s report on public accounts of ministries, departments and agencies disclosed.

Therefore, the Auditor General recommended that, the Chief Director of the Finance Ministry, recover the unaccounted amount from the Chief Director of the Ministry of Food and Agriculture, and make sure that the affected farmers of the bird flu disease are fairly compensated.