President John Dramani Mahama has directed the National Investigations Bureau (NIB) to launch an immediate probe into the operations of the National Service Authority (NSA) under the previous administration following the discovery of 81,885 suspected ghost names on its payroll.
The anomaly was detected after a headcount of active National Service personnel, initiated by the Minister for Finance, as a prerequisite for clearing outstanding allowance arrears dating back to August 2024.
Following the verification exercise, the Ministry of Finance has disbursed GHS 226,019,224 to settle arrears for 98,145 genuine National Service personnel. This figure is significantly lower than the 180,030 names previously submitted by the past management of the Authority for payment.
In response to these findings, President Mahama has tasked the newly appointed NSA management with implementing urgent reforms to enhance internal controls and prevent a recurrence of fraudulent payroll practices.
The directive underscores the government’s commitment to transparency, accountability, and prudent financial management in the public sector.
Signed:
Felix Kwakye Ofosu, MP
Spokesperson to the President, Minister, Government Communications.