GHANA has identified a staggering 67,311 ghost workers on its government payroll, leading to the recovery of GH₵150.4 million (about $14.4 million) in unearned salaries. The revelation was made by Minister of Finance Dr Cassiel Ato Forson during his presentation of the 2025 mid-year budget review in Parliament on Thursday, July 24.
Citing findings from a recent Ghana Audit Service exercise, Dr Forson said the payroll was bloated by two major categories of unauthorised entries. The first included 14,000 unidentified individuals whose records could not be traced to any known public servant. The second, and far more extensive, category included 53,311 ‘separated staff’—a term used to describe individuals who had either retired, resigned, been dismissed, were on leave without pay, or had passed away, yet continued to receive government salaries.
‘Let me use this opportunity to strongly caution those who validate “ghosts” across the public service that they will be personally liable for the loss of public funds,’ Dr Forson told Parliament.
Nationwide payroll audit underway
The finance minister said the payroll audit will be concluded by the end of August 2025. Once completed, the government intends to make the findings public, including any disciplinary actions and further recoveries that may follow.
This intensified scrutiny is part of President John Mahama’s broader strategy to tighten public financial management and plug systemic leakages that have long undermined the integrity of the public sector compensation system.
Dr Forson explained that the government is now conducting regular nationwide staff payroll audits aimed at sanitising the payroll system. In addition to these audits, the administration is realigning public sector staff by transferring surplus personnel from overstaffed or defunct Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs) to areas where there is a critical shortage of workers.
Another key measure being implemented is a new requirement that all MDAs must now seek prior approval from the Ministry of Finance before committing to any financial obligations related to payroll. This executive directive, according to Dr Forson, will curb arbitrary appointments and help rein in unplanned expenditure.
He also announced that the government is in the final stages of establishing an Independent Emoluments Commission (IEC). The commission will be tasked with overhauling the structure of public sector wages, ensuring transparency, and aligning compensation with national productivity goals.
Presidential order followed earlier payroll scandal
The Finance Ministry’s recent efforts follow a presidential directive issued in February 2025 by President Mahama to investigate payroll irregularities at the National Service Authority. That probe uncovered over 81,000 suspected ghost names on the agency’s payroll.
The discovery was made during a headcount initiated to verify arrears in service allowance payments. The National Service Authority oversees the mandatory one-year placement of university graduates in various sectors. A statement from the presidency described the revelation as alarming and a clear indication of systemic failure under the previous administration.
The president at the time promised firm action to cleanse the public payroll system and hold all complicit individuals accountable.
Wider efforts to fix wage system
Dr Forson stressed that the government’s approach is not merely reactive but is designed to build a sustainable, transparent, and accountable payroll architecture.
He added that once the Independent Emoluments Commission is operational, it will provide a clear, rules-based framework for determining salaries across all tiers of the public service. This is expected to eliminate ad hoc wage adjustments and reduce the politicisation of public sector pay.
‘We will not allow a few individuals to sabotage national development by siphoning public resources,’ Dr Forson concluded. ‘We are cleaning house, and the system will no longer reward fraud.’
The government views the payroll as not just a cost centre, but a reflection of its commitment to efficient public service delivery. With the recovery of GH₵150.4 million and the exposure of more than 67,000 ghost workers, the Mahama administration says it is determined to restore integrity and discipline to the public wage bill.
