The Talensi District Assembly has explained that cash payments by the assembly totaling GH¢181,170 which the Auditor-General questioned in its 2024 audit report on Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies (MMDAs) were payments for refreshments and other food expenses during the year.
Explaining, when the issue came up at a hearing of Parliament’s Select Committee on Local Government and Rural Development on Thursday (Oct 29, 2026), an official from the assembly said that they had to resort to cash payments because local suppliers in Talensi have been rejecting cheque payments because of the delays in processing them.
He said GH¢181,170 paid out in cash covered expenditure over the year and involved local suppliers who sometimes resisted payment by cheque because of delays in processing them.
The explanation followed a query by the auditors on why the assembly had resorted to cash transactions.
The representative said the expenditure largely covered refreshments and other items purchased for meetings. The official also indicated that the assembly had taken note of concerns about the payment method.
Aside the GH¢181,170 the Auditor-General also identified that a total of GH¢251,778.81 utilised from the District Assemblies Common Fund for Talensi and other statutory funds for 2024 lacked the required supporting documents.
It has been recommended that the responsible officials refund the amount.
