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PAC Orders Probe Into GH¢13m Vaccine Institute Training Expenditure

The Public Accounts Committee (PAC) of Parliament has ordered the Ministry of Health to investigate GH¢13 million spent on training and seminars by the National Vaccine Institute (NVI) in 2025. The directive was given during PAC sittings in Parliament on Friday, October 9, 2026.

According to the 2025 Auditor-General’s Report, the NVI expended GH¢13 million on various training programmes, workshops and seminars, without sufficient supporting documentation and value-for-money evidence. PAC Chairman Abena Osei-Asare said the expenditure pattern is worrying for a newly established institute that should be focused on local vaccine production.

The Committee questioned why the Institute, which was established to drive Ghana’s vaccine manufacturing agenda, spent such a huge amount on seminars instead of research, infrastructure and partnerships with pharmaceutical companies. Members of the PAC noted that several of the training sessions were held in luxury hotels in Accra and abroad, raising concerns about prudence and prioritization.

The Health Ministry, led by its Chief Director, told PAC that the training was necessary to build capacity of staff recruited from the FDA, Noguchi and private sector, but failed to provide detailed breakdowns, attendance sheets and outcomes of the programmes. PAC has therefore given the Ministry 14 days to submit a full audit trail, including receipts, certificates and impact assessment reports for the GH¢13 million expenditure.

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PAC warned that if the Ministry fails to justify the expenditure, it will recommend a full forensic audit and possible surcharge of officers involved, in line with Article 187 of the 1992 Constitution. The National Vaccine Institute was established in 2023 to lead Ghana’s quest for local vaccine manufacturing after COVID-19 exposed Africa’s dependence on imported vaccines.

Civil society groups have also raised alarm over the GH¢13 million training cost, calling for transparency in the health sector. Ghanaians are watching closely as PAC continues its public hearings into the Auditor-General’s report, with more agencies expected to be cited for financial irregularities.

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Author: Stella Sunu • Published on Howedey.com | Saturday, 10th October, 2026

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