President John Dramani Mahama has directed the National Investigations Bureau (NIB) to launch an immediate investigation into a scandal at the National Service Authority (NSA). This move aligns with the current administration’s commitment to combating corruption.
The directive follows the discovery of over 81,885 suspected ghost names on the NSA payroll after a mandatory headcount of active national service personnel.
A statement signed by the President’s Spokesperson, Minister of Government Communications Felix Kwakye Ofosu, and dated Wednesday, 12 February, revealed:
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The ghost names were detected following a headcount of active National Service personnel at the behest of the Minister for Finance as a prerequisite for the clearance of allowance arrears dating back to August 2024.
The statement further disclosed that the Minister for Finance, Dr Cassiel Ato Forson, has subsequently released funds to settle the arrears of active personnel.
Following the completion of the headcount, the Ministry of Finance has released GHS 226,019,224 to cover allowance payment arrears for 98,145 actual National Service personnel.
This figure is 81,885 less than the 180,030 names submitted by the previous management of the Authority for allowance payments in 2024.
Meanwhile, President Mahama has tasked the new management of the NSA with implementing urgent reforms to establish stricter controls and prevent a recurrence of ghost names on the payroll.
Background
![Directors of NSA: OSEI ASSIBEY ANTWI - Executive Director, GIFTY OWARE-ABOAGYE - Deputy Executive Director, General Services and KWAKU OHENE DJAN - Deputy Executive Director, Operations.](/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fimage.api.sportal365.com%2Fprocess%2F%2Fsmp-images-production%2Fpulse.com.gh%2F19122024%2F34aacdcf-9c3e-4664-8b38-070e40ebcffd.jpg&w=3840&q=75)
In December 2024, investigative media outlet The Fourth Estate planned to publish an exposé on alleged corrupt activities within the National Service Scheme (NSS). The publication was scheduled for 2 December, just five days before the 2024 general election. However, the NSA obtained a 10-day injunction, halting the release less than 12 hours before its scheduled publication.
Leaked documents later suggested that the scandal involved over 40,000 ghost names on the NSS payroll, leading to an estimated annual loss of more than GHS 343 million over three consecutive years.
In response, the NSA, in a statement dated 16 December, denied any payroll fraud, describing the allegations as a threat to its ongoing transformation efforts aimed at eliminating such malpractices. The Authority also expressed its willingness to investigate the claims.