President Mahama Orders Termination of All Government Contracts with SML

President John Dramani Mahama has directed the immediate termination of all contracts between the Government of Ghana and Strategic Mobilisation Ghana Limited (SML) following the conclusion of an investigation by the Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP).

The directive was contained in a letter signed by the Secretary to the President, Dr. Callistus Mahama, and addressed to the Minister of Finance, Dr. Cassiel Ato Forson. The letter instructed the Finance Minister to take immediate steps to end all existing agreements involving SML.

The OSP recently concluded its investigation into the revenue assurance contracts between SML and the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA), focusing on alleged procurement irregularities, contractual overreach, and value-for-money concerns.

According to findings presented by the Special Prosecutor, Mr. Kissi Agyebeng, at a press briefing in Accra on Thursday, October 30, the investigation revealed that there was no genuine need for engaging SML for the services it purported to perform.

He stated that the contracts were secured through “self-serving official patronage, sponsorship, and promotion based on false and unverified claims.”

Meanwhile, Strategic Mobilisation Ghana Limited has denied any wrongdoing, insisting that its operations were lawful, transparent, and beneficial to the state.

In a statement issued on Friday, October 31, 2025, SML said it had “fully cooperated with all lawful investigations” and called for public discussions to be grounded in verified facts rather than speculation.

“We will present all relevant documents before the appropriate authorities. We remain proud of the work done, the controls that governed it, and the measurable value created for Ghana,” said the company’s Lead Counsel.

SML maintained that it is a wholly Ghanaian-owned company with no political affiliations and that its contracts with the GRA were structured under a “risk-and-reward” framework to enhance national revenue mobilisation through measurable results.

According to the company, its services — including transaction audits, external price verification, and downstream petroleum measurement — were performed under GRA supervision, with payments made only after results were independently verified.

The latest directive follows a similar decision by the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) in May 2024, when it complied with orders from former President Akufo-Addo to terminate the Transaction Audit and External Verification Service (AEVS) contract with SML.

The GRA also suspended the Upstream Petroleum and Minerals Revenue Audit components of the agreement, pending a comprehensive review of the contract details.

Additionally, the Authority announced plans to amend the Measurement Audit for the Downstream Petroleum Products contract by converting it to a fixed-fee structure and reviewing other provisions, including service delivery expectations, termination clauses, and intellectual property rights.