NPP Minority Rejects Key Findings in Special Audit Report on One District One Factory Programme
The Minority Caucus of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) in Parliament has strongly rejected several conclusions contained in a Special Audit Report on the One District One Factory (1D1F) initiative, describing claims of fictitious transactions and fund diversion as inaccurate, misleading, and unsupported by law.
In a detailed statement issued on March 19, 2026, the caucus acknowledged the constitutional role of the Auditor-General in scrutinising public expenditure but expressed deep disagreement with aspects of the report that it believes misrepresent the design, implementation, and legal framework of the programme.
The Minority emphasised that the One District One Factory initiative, launched in 2017 under former President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, was a private sector-led programme aimed at accelerating industrialisation, reducing unemployment, and shifting Ghana away from raw material exports. The government’s role was limited to providing policy direction, incentives, and targeted financial support, rather than directly constructing or managing factories.
According to the statement, beneficiary companies were selected through a rigorous, structured process involving the Ministry of Trade and Industry and participating financial institutions. The projects covered both greenfield factories and expansions of existing facilities across diverse sectors, including agro-processing, pharmaceuticals, and general manufacturing.
A central feature of the programme was the interest subsidy scheme, under which government committed to subsidising borrowing costs for approved companies, enabling banks to offer loans at reduced rates. The Minority argued that in certain cases, the government did not fully release the promised subsidy funds, leading some banks to withhold disbursement of credit to the beneficiary firms.
This, the caucus explained, accounts for why some companies listed in the audit report show no outstanding loans — not due to any impropriety, but because the loans were never disbursed in the first place.
The NPP Minority firmly rejected allegations that payments made to financial institutions were fictitious or part of a scheme to divert public funds. It stressed that all transactions were duly approved by Parliament, processed through official state financial channels — including the Controller and Accountant-General’s Department and the Bank of Ghana — and aligned with established legal and administrative procedures.
The caucus has therefore called on Parliament to direct the Ministry of Finance to retract what it described as the erroneous characterisation of these transactions. It has also urged the Public Accounts Committee to conduct a fair, thorough, and balanced review of the audit findings.
Additionally, the Minority recommended that future special audits should involve prior engagement with implementing agencies to allow for clarification and accurate contextualisation before final conclusions are published.
While reaffirming its strong support for accountability and transparency in public spending, the caucus cautioned against what it views as the politicisation of oversight processes. It insisted that any evaluation of the 1D1F programme must be grounded in law, facts, and fairness rather than selective interpretation.
The statement has reignited political debate over the flagship industrialisation initiative, with the Minority positioning itself as a defender of the programme’s original intent and execution against what it sees as flawed audit conclusions. The government and Auditor-General’s office are yet to respond formally to the Minority’s position.
