The forensic audit commissioned into Ghana’s hosting of the 13th African Games has uncovered how funds meant for the continental sporting event were allegedly diverted to finance the salaries and operations of the Black Stars technical team during the tenure of former Sports Minister Mustapha Ussif.

The audit, ordered by President John Dramani Mahama in November 2025, examined the financial activities of the Local Organising Committee (LOC) responsible for staging the African Games in Accra in 2024.

One of the most damning sections of the report focused on payments made from the LOC’s bank accounts for activities auditors say had no direct connection to the organisation and hosting of the Games.

According to the findings, the LOC used both its dollar and cedi accounts to make payments totalling US$487,000 and GH¢9.2 million respectively for expenses linked to the Black Stars and other sporting activities outside the mandate of the African Games secretariat.

Where is Derrick Köhn? – Ghanaians react after Black Stars squad omission

The report specifically named Black Stars head coach Otto Addo, assistant coaches John Paintsil and Fatawu Dauda, as well as technical advisor Joseph Laumann, as beneficiaries of payments made from the LOC accounts.

Auditors revealed that on May 7, 2024, an outward swift payment of US$240,000 was transferred to Otto Addo in Germany as “payment of advance salary for one year.” On the same day, another US$75,000 payment was made to Houghton Enterprise Limited in the United Kingdom as a three-month salary advance.

Further transactions showed that on June 10, 2024, US$30,000 was transferred to John Paintsil while US$9,000 was paid to Fatawu Dauda through separate internal transfer arrangements.

The report added that Otto Addo again received US$60,000 on June 11, 2024, described as “final payment of March to May 2024 salaries to head coach Black Stars.”

Just two days later, another US$30,000 was wired to Joseph Laumann in Germany as payment for three months’ salary covering March to May 2024 in his role as assistant coach of the national team.

Additional payments were made in September 2024, including US$10,000 to John Paintsil, US$3,000 to Fatawu Dauda and another US$10,000 payment to Joseph Laumann for July salary obligations.

The audit also revealed that Otto Addo received another payment of US$20,000 from the LOC account as part of his 2024 salary package.

Beyond the dollar transactions, the report highlighted a massive GH¢8,938,950 withdrawal in December 2021 connected to the Black Stars.

Auditors further identified another GH¢310,716 payment made to Otto Addo in September 2024 as salary for August 2024.

According to the Auditor-General’s report, none of these expenditures fell within the approved mandate of the Local Organising Committee established to organise and host the African Games.

The report stated that the transactions constituted “unrelated and irregular payments” and breached appropriation controls, effectively diverting resources meant for the African Games toward Black Stars activities.

The findings form part of a broader forensic investigation into Ghana’s hosting of the African Games, which has reportedly uncovered more than US$40 million in avoidable costs, inflated claims, omitted works and questionable expenditures across multiple projects tied to the tournament.

FKA/JE

Also watch as Athletes share experiences about the African Athletics Championships