By Benjamin Nii Nai Anyetei
The National Service Authority (NSA) has announced the arrest of 10 individuals in connection with fraudulent activities involving “ghost names” in the 2025/2026 National Service database, as part of efforts to protect the integrity of the scheme.
The announcement was made at a press briefing on Monday, December 15, 2025, at the NSA headquarters in Accra by the Director-General, Ms Ruth Dela Sedoh, who provided updates on the findings of an investigation into systemic irregularities on the national service platform.
Ms Sedoh explained that ghost names, fraudulent entries of fictitious personnel in the NSA system—have been a long-standing challenge that undermines service delivery, payroll integrity and public confidence in the scheme.
“These are cases where individuals create fake profiles or collude with insiders to claim allowances without performing any service duties,” she said.
The investigation involved cross-checking student lists submitted by accredited tertiary institutions with records from the National Identification Authority (NIA) and the NSA’s online registration portal. Discrepancies in names, dates of birth and Ghana Card verification details were analysed, leading to the identification of irregularities deemed to be criminal offences under Ghanaian law.
Ms Sedoh said the 10 suspects were found to have manipulated the registration and validation process to create fictitious personnel records and claim allowances for non-existent service personnel. She described the arrests as part of a zero-tolerance approach to fraud within the scheme.
“The new centralised NSA management system, which replaced the old platform, has been critical in detecting and preventing these irregularities,” she said, adding that the system enables real-time verification, traceable banking records and stronger internal controls.
The Director-General also highlighted concerns about institutional accountability, noting that last-minute rejections by some ministries and agencies had previously created loopholes exploited by fraudsters. She said the NSA has written to the Office of the Presidency to ensure institutions adhere to their allocated service quotas.
Any organisation found rejecting personnel without valid reasons, she warned, could face sanctions, including exclusion from future postings.
Ms Sedoh urged service personnel to report suspicious activity and reminded stakeholders that participation in the National Service Scheme is both a civic obligation and a legal responsibility. She said the Authority would continue to monitor the system, prosecute offenders and implement further technological and operational reforms to eliminate ghost names.
She added that the action follows other support measures introduced by the NSA, including specialised regional support desks, IT verification units and collaboration with the NIA and the Ghana Publishing Company to resolve data mismatches and administrative challenges, while ensuring legitimate service personnel are not unfairly affected.
