Sam George caught in bloated budget allocations
Communications Minister Samuel Nartey George has found himself at the centre of mounting public controversy after details of projected expenditures under the Ministry of Communications, Digital Technology and Innovations for the 2026 fiscal year surfaced online, sparking accusations of excessive budgeting, duplication of expenditure items and possible misuse of public funds.
The controversy erupted after portions of a procurement and commitment authorisation request linked to the ministry began circulating widely on social media, with critics questioning the scale of allocations attached to some government digital initiatives, particularly the National Girls-in-ICT Programme and the proposed “One Million Coders” agenda.
The document, which forms part of the ministry’s budget preparation and procurement approval process, outlines dozens of proposed expenditures covering event management, logistics, transport, training workshops, fumigation services, infrastructure works and digital connectivity projects.
Several of the listed expenditure items immediately triggered public concern because similar services appeared repeatedly under different package descriptions and codes.
For the Girls-in-ICT programme alone, event management packages valued at about GH¢98,060 and GH¢99,100 appeared multiple times alongside separate allocations for event set-up, logistics coordination, transport support and operational services.
The budget projections also included transport allocations estimated at about GH¢60,000, vehicle servicing and maintenance costs pegged around GH¢85,000, and training workshop expenses estimated at GH¢100,000.
One of the most discussed entries involved fumigation services, which appeared repeatedly in the document with separate allocations close to GH¢98,060 per package, raising questions from critics about why similar operational services were being budgeted multiple times within the same programme structure.
Beyond the operational spending, the document further revealed major infrastructure proposals under the ministry’s capital expenditure plans.
The largest allocation captured in the document is a proposed GH¢70 million expenditure for the construction of a digital youth village expected to serve as a national hub for technology training, coding education and youth digital empowerment.
Another GH¢30 million allocation was earmarked for rural telephony installation and expansion projects nationwide, while an additional GH¢3 million was listed for renovation works at the ministry’s office complex.
The circulation of the document quickly escalated into a major political debate online, with critics accusing the ministry of repackaging ordinary government programmes into expensive flagship initiatives while others questioned whether taxpayers were receiving value for money amid the economic difficulties.
Some commentators also linked the controversy to the government’s heavily publicised digital inclusion programmes, arguing that initiatives such as the “One Million Coders” project appeared to rely heavily on partnerships with existing online training platforms while still attracting significant projected operational expenditure.
Amid the backlash, Sam George issued a public response strongly rejecting suggestions of corruption or financial impropriety within his ministry.
In a detailed defence, the minister argued that many critics either misunderstood or deliberately misrepresented Ghana’s public financial management system.
According to him, every expenditure under the current administration must first be tied to a Parliament-approved budget line before any procurement activity can begin.
He explained that the ministry’s chief director merely submitted a request for commitment authorisation to the Ministry of Finance as part of the normal process required for the release of approved funds.
Sam George stressed that no money had been released, spent or disbursed under the listed projects and maintained that the document being circulated publicly represented only a preliminary stage of government financial approval procedures.
The minister further disclosed that several of the ministry’s projects were currently at different stages involving commitment authorisation, Public Procurement Authority approvals and eventual disbursement consideration.
“The Ministry is guided by the highest standards of transparency, accountability and integrity,” Sam George stated while dismissing allegations of corruption.
The minister also defended his personal integrity, insisting that despite political attacks against him, his record in public office remained clean.
“You may not like Sam George and say what you like about him. One thing remains as certain as the Northern Star — you cannot call him corrupt,” he declared.
Sam George additionally referenced his eight-year experience serving on Parliament’s Public Accounts Committee, arguing that his deep understanding of public sector administration and state financial procedures made it unlikely he would involve himself in any questionable financial dealings.
The Ministry of Communications, Digital Technology and Innovations has since clarified that the circulated document forms only part of a broader 2026 budget submission and should not be interpreted as evidence of actual expenditure.
Officials insist that the listed allocations are projected interventions intended to support government policy objectives in digital inclusion, telecommunications expansion, youth empowerment and rural connectivity improvement.
The ministry also maintains that all proposed projects remain subject to approval by the Ministry of Finance before procurement or implementation can proceed.
The controversy, however, has intensified public attention on government spending within the digital sector at a time when citizens continue to raise concerns about economic hardship, public sector expenditure and transparency in the management of state resources.
The National Girls-in-ICT Programme, which has operated for years under successive governments, was originally introduced to encourage young girls to pursue careers in science, engineering, coding and technology through training camps and mentorship programmes held across the country.
Similarly, the government’s broader digital transformation agenda has included promises to expand rural telephony, improve nationwide internet connectivity, increase digital literacy and position Ghana as a leading technology hub within West Africa.
However, the emergence of the budget document has reopened debate about how such programmes are funded, how expenditure items are communicated to the public and whether adequate safeguards exist to assure taxpayers of value for money in the execution of major digital sector projects.
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