GRA Disputes SML’s claims of expanded mandate in petroleum and mineral sectors

The Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) has refuted claims made by Strategic Mobilisation Ghana Limited (SML) that it has been granted an expanded mandate to resume revenue assurance services in Ghana’s upstream petroleum and solid minerals sectors.

In a statement issued on May 14, 2025, the GRA described recent publications, including those by the state-owned Graphic Online and Business and Financial Times, suggesting that SML had launched oversight activities in the two extractive sectors as false and worrying.

“The Authority’s suspension of SML’s services in the upstream petroleum and mineral sectors pending further review, issued in April 2024, remains in force,” the statement said.

The GRA stressed that it has not instructed SML to activate nor resume operations under the controversial 2023 Consolidation of Revenue Assurance Services Contract that had granted the company extensive control over monitoring in the petroleum and mining industries.

This latest development follows months of public scrutiny over SML’s contracts with the state.

The public uproar comes on the heels of The Fourth Estate investigative report that questioned the legality, value for money, and procurement processes surrounding SML’s engagement with the GRA. The report triggered a presidential directive for a comprehensive audit.

Former President Akufo-Addo later tasked KPMG to investigate the matter. The audit firm’s report recommended a review of certain aspects of SML’s contracts and the suspension of operations in the upstream petroleum and solid minerals sectors.

While SML has consistently defended its operations and maintained that it has helped the state plug revenue leakages, critics argue that the scope of its mandate lacked transparency and legal backing.

The GRA, in its latest statement, sought to reassure stakeholders and the general public of its commitment to protecting Ghana’s revenue base.

“The Authority wishes to assure stakeholders in the aforementioned sectors and the general public of its unwavering commitment to protect the nation’s revenue with integrity and transparency,” it added.

It remains unclear to The Fourth Estate why SML proceeded to make public claims of operational expansion in light of the ongoing suspension.

Background

In December 2023, The Fourth Estate published a groundbreaking investigation into a contract between GRA and SML, exposing questionable claims and conflicts of interest.

The report revealed how SML—a company that evolved from a timber business—falsely claimed to have saved Ghana GHS3 billion through its revenue assurance services within a span of less than three years.

When The Fourth Estate confronted the company with evidence disproving this claim, SML’s Managing Director, Christian Tetteh Sottie, denied knowledge of the figure. He attributed the misinformation to media outlets, including the state-owned Daily Graphic, claiming they had misinterpreted a presentation made to the GRA Board. However, the same GHS3 billion figures appeared on SML’s official website.

Further investigation showed that Mr. Sottie had previously served as Technical Advisor to the Commissioner-General of the GRA in 2019—the same year the Authority contracted SML. He resigned from that position in 2020 to become Managing Director of SML just as the company began implementing its GRA contract.

Since its establishment, SML Ghana’s only known client has been the GRA.

The investigation also exposed the circumstances behind a lucrative, expanded contract signed in 2023, which consolidated multiple revenue assurance services across different sectors—including upstream petroleum and gold mining—at an annual cost of nearly USD 100 million.

Alarmingly, state agencies responsible for regulating Ghana’s petroleum and mining sectors said they were unaware of this expanded agreement. The deal was reportedly pushed through on the orders of then-Finance Minister Ken Ofori-Atta.