NSA cuts payroll from GH¢1.6bn to GH¢700m after eliminating ghost names

The National Service Authority (NSA) has significantly reduced its annual payroll from approximately GH¢1.6 billion to GH¢700 million following the implementation of stricter verification and payment control systems.

Deputy Director-General Moses Dok Nach Kpeungu explained that the Authority has overhauled its disbursement procedures to ensure that only properly validated personnel receive allowances.

The enhanced system is specifically designed to curb irregular payments, particularly those associated with ghost names, through rigorous pre-payment checks.

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He emphasised that the substantial cost savings were not the result of a reduction in the number of deployed service personnel but rather due to improved oversight and tighter control mechanisms governing the payroll process.

Under the revised framework, every national service member is required to undergo a monthly assessment, which must be verified and endorsed by a supervisor at their assigned post before any payment is approved.

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Lt Col. Kpeungu noted that these reforms underscore the NSA’s renewed focus on fiscal discipline, transparency, and ensuring value for public funds.

“Previously, the payroll of the government was about 1.5 to 1.6 billion every year. As of last year, we paid barely about GH¢700 million,” he said in an interview with Joy FM.

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The development comes amid ongoing legal proceedings involving former NSA Director-General Osei Assibey Antwi and his deputy Gifty Oware-Mensah over alleged payroll fraud linked to ghost names.

Prosecutors claim the scheme involved 9,934 fictitious national service personnel and may have resulted in financial losses exceeding GH¢38 million to the state.

Lt Col. Kpeungu further disclosed that the Authority has settled the majority of outstanding arrears owed to service personnel, with only one month—March—remaining unpaid. He added that steps are currently being taken to clear the outstanding balance.