Former Zongo Development Fund CEO Dr Arafat Sulemana-Abdullah accused of GHC44,315 mobile money transfer after tenure expired – 2025 Auditor- General’s Report

– A damning finding from the 2025 Auditor-General’s Report on Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs) has hit the former Chief Executive Officer of the Zongo Development Fund, Dr. Arafat Sulemana-Abdulai, with allegations of serious financial impropriety.

According to details highlighted in an advocacy publication by the Pledge Against Corruption (PAC), Dr. Sulemana-Abdulai is accused of transferring a total sum of GH₵44,315 to himself and other individuals via Mobile Money. The Auditor-General’s report specifically notes that these transfers were executed after the former CEO’s appointment had officially ended.

The staggering revelation, which is now circulating among anti-corruption advocates, raises critical questions regarding internal financial controls and post-tenure access to state resources. The use of Mobile Money for such significant financial disbursements after leaving office indicates a severe breach of standard operating procedures governing public funds.

The graphic endorsing the findings features logos from a consortium of leading civil society and anti-graft groups, including the Africa Centre for Energy Policy (ACEP), the Ghana Anti-Corruption Coalition (GACC), and Transparency International Ghana. These organizations, supported by UK International Development, are widely disseminating the report to pressure state institutions to act on the audit’s findings.

As Ghanaians await an official response from the former CEO, the 2025 Auditor-General’s Report underscores a critical vulnerability in governance—specifically, the lack of immediate financial safeguards that allowed a terminated public official to retain access to the Fund’s coffers. The GH₵44,315 figure, while just one line item in the broader audit, serves as a glaring example of the lapses that anti-corruption campaigners argue continue to plague the management of MDAs across the country.

This is a developing story. We await further clarity from the Auditor-General’s Department and the Zongo Development Fund.