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14,000 Ghost Names, 53,000 Separated Staff Still on Payroll—Ato Forson Unveils Shocking Audit Findings
The Minister for Finance, Dr. Cassiel Ato Forson, has revealed alarming findings from an ongoing nationwide payroll audit, disclosing that over 14,000 public sector workers cannot be verified, while more than 53,000 individuals no longer in active service continue to draw salaries from the government payroll.
Delivering the 2025 Mid-Year Budget Review to Parliament on Thursday, July 24, Dr. Forson said the audit, commissioned by the Ministry and conducted by the Ghana Audit Service, has so far covered 91 percent of institutions across all 16 regions.
“So far, the Audit Service has not been able to identify or verify more than 14,000 workers,” he stated, warning that such irregularities are draining the national purse.
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In addition to the unverifiable workers, the audit uncovered that 53,307 individuals classified as retired, deceased, reassigned, terminated, or on leave without pay are still being captured on the government’s payroll system.
“These are individuals who should not be receiving salaries, yet the system continues to process monthly payments for them,” Dr. Forson lamented. “This practice undermines efficiency, wastes public funds, and contributes to our fiscal challenges.”
The Finance Minister stressed that the government will act swiftly on the audit findings by expunging all ghost names and addressing systemic loopholes that enable salary fraud.
“This is not just about numbers; it is about plugging wastage and restoring integrity to our public financial management,” he said.
He added that the payroll cleanup forms part of broader public sector reforms aimed at creating fiscal space, improving service delivery, and reinforcing accountability in the use of public resources.
The revelation has sparked outrage among some Members of Parliament and civil society actors, with renewed calls for prosecution of those found complicit in perpetuating payroll fraud.
As Ghana grapples with economic recovery and tight expenditure controls, the government is under pressure to ensure that every cedi spent delivers value to the taxpayer.
The Ministry of Finance says the full report of the audit will be made public once the exercise is completed in the remaining institutions.
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