By Savannah Pokuaah Duah
Ghana’s Finance Minister, Cassiel Ato Forson, says more than 14,000 names on the public payroll cannot be verified, raising fresh concerns over ghost workers as the country battles youth unemployment.
Presenting the 2025 Mid-Year Budget Review on Thursday, 24 July, Dr Forson said the Ghana Audit Service had completed 91% of a nationwide payroll audit aimed at identifying and removing ghost names from government records.
“The Audit Service has not been able to identify or verify over 14,000 workers,” Forson stated, emphasizing the urgency of the situation. He further disclosed that the audit uncovered 53,311 separated staff still listed on the payroll—individuals who are either retired, reassigned, terminated, on leave without pay, or deceased.
“This is a significant issue that we must address,” Forson said. “Separated staff should not be drawing salaries. The Audit Service expects to recover a minimum of 150.4 million Ghanaian cedis in unpaid salaries from these individuals over the 2023 and 2024 period alone.”
The Finance Minister reiterated the government’s commitment to fiscal consolidation and transparency, stating, “Going forward, we will enforce a monthly payroll validation process and strictly apply sanctions to all who validate ghosts for payment of salaries.” He added a stern warning for those involved in such practices: “Let me use this opportunity to strongly caution those who validate ghosts across the public service that they will be personally liable for the loss of public funds.”
Forson’s remarks come at a time when many Ghanaians are concerned about the rising unemployment rates among the youth. The government’s efforts to clean up the payroll system are seen as a step toward ensuring that public funds are used effectively and that resources can be redirected to create more job opportunities.
“The fight against ghost names is not just about saving money; it’s about restoring integrity in our public service. The Ministry of Finance will continue to monitor this payroll closely and implement measures to prevent any recurrence of ghost names going forward,” Forson assured.
