Ghana’s National Service Authority has slashed its annual payroll from about GH¢1.6 billion to GH¢700 million after introducing tighter verification measures, officials said.
Deputy Director-General Lt. Col. Moses Dok Nach Kpeungu told Accra based radio Joy FM that the Authority has strengthened payment processes to ensure allowances are paid only to verified personnel.
He said the new system is designed to eliminate irregular payments, particularly those tied to ghost names, by enforcing stricter checks before disbursements.
“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,” Kpeungu said.
The savings, he explained, were not achieved by reducing the number of service personnel deployed nationwide, but by tightening controls around how monthly allowances are processed. Under the revised regime, every service member must undergo a monthly evaluation endorsed by a supervisor before payment is approved.
Kpeungu said the measures reflect the Authority’s renewed commitment to fiscal discipline and value for money. He added that most arrears owed to personnel have been cleared, with only March payments outstanding.
The payroll reforms come as former NSA Director-General Osei Assibey Antwi and his deputy, Gifty Oware-Mensah, face legal proceedings over alleged ghost names on the Authority’s payroll. Prosecutors say the scheme involved 9,934 non-existent service members and may have cost the state more than GH¢38 million.
