[Ghana] Digital solution to eliminate ‘ghost names’ from government payroll

In Ghana, government workers without a Ghana/ECOWAS Citizens Card will have their salaries frozen from March 2024, Daily Guide Network reports.

The move follows the launch of a software solution to integrate the databases of the Mechanised Payroll System of the Controller and Accountant General’s Department (CAGD) and the National Identification Authority (NIA) with real-time biometric validation to verify the salaries of government workers.

The measure is reportedly intended to help eliminate ‘ghost names’ from the government payroll and ensure that only legitimate government employees are paid.

Speaking at the launch in Accra on January 10, Vice President Dr Mahamudu Bawumia described the introduction of the new system as historic and a major landmark event.

The initiative was reportedly championed by the Office of the Vice President as part of the government’s digitalisation agenda, in collaboration with the Ministry of Finance, the Controller and Accountant General’s Department and the National Identification Authority.

Dr Bawumia said the new payroll system would remove non-existent workers from the government payroll and help curb corruption in payroll management.

He reportedly cited the example of the National Service Secretariat in 2022 where 14,027 ‘ghost names’ were discovered on the payroll and expunged, saving GH¢120 million.

The Vice President stated that since the NIA had the biometric data of every Ghanaian, it would enable the system to verify the biometric details of recruits and check payroll fraud.

Kwasi Kwaning-Bosompem - Controller and Accountant-General - said the initiative would promote transparency, efficiency and accountability in the government payroll system and ensure the judicious use of public funds.

He reportedly urged public sector workers and CAP 30 pensioners to acquire their Ghana Card now to avoid any inconvenience.

Dr Mohammed Amin Adam - Minister of State at the Ministry of Finance - praised the efforts of CAGD and NIA staff and said that the system would save the public purse from payroll irregularities.

He added that it would also spare government resources used in undertaking payroll audits.

The groundbreaking initiative is designed to create an unbreakable bond between the worker’s identity and their presence on the payroll, with periodic validations undertaken to make the system even more robust.

Mr Kwaning-Bosompem said, “The system will ensure real-time validation and verification of new and old employees, improve data accuracy for decision making, enhance transparency and accountability, save Government the huge costs of regular Payroll Audits across the country since the data can be audited anytime at source, and will operate in decentralised biometric verification centres, saving users the cost of travelling to Accra for validation and verification.”

Source: Daily Guide Network

(Quotes via original reporting)

In Ghana, government workers without a Ghana/ECOWAS Citizens Card will have their salaries frozen from March 2024, Daily Guide Network reports.

The move follows the launch of a software solution to integrate the databases of the Mechanised Payroll System of the Controller and Accountant General’s Department (CAGD) and the National Identification Authority (NIA) with real-time biometric validation to verify the salaries of government workers.

The measure is reportedly intended to help eliminate ‘ghost names’ from the government payroll and ensure that only legitimate government employees are paid.

Speaking at the launch in Accra on January 10, Vice President Dr Mahamudu Bawumia described the introduction of the new system as historic and a major landmark event.

The initiative was reportedly championed by the Office of the Vice President as part of the government’s digitalisation agenda, in collaboration with the Ministry of Finance, the Controller and Accountant General’s Department and the National Identification Authority.

Dr Bawumia said the new payroll system would remove non-existent workers from the government payroll and help curb corruption in payroll management.

He reportedly cited the example of the National Service Secretariat in 2022 where 14,027 ‘ghost names’ were discovered on the payroll and expunged, saving GH¢120 million.

The Vice President stated that since the NIA had the biometric data of every Ghanaian, it would enable the system to verify the biometric details of recruits and check payroll fraud.

Kwasi Kwaning-Bosompem - Controller and Accountant-General - said the initiative would promote transparency, efficiency and accountability in the government payroll system and ensure the judicious use of public funds.

He reportedly urged public sector workers and CAP 30 pensioners to acquire their Ghana Card now to avoid any inconvenience.

Dr Mohammed Amin Adam - Minister of State at the Ministry of Finance - praised the efforts of CAGD and NIA staff and said that the system would save the public purse from payroll irregularities.

He added that it would also spare government resources used in undertaking payroll audits.

The groundbreaking initiative is designed to create an unbreakable bond between the worker’s identity and their presence on the payroll, with periodic validations undertaken to make the system even more robust.

Mr Kwaning-Bosompem said, “The system will ensure real-time validation and verification of new and old employees, improve data accuracy for decision making, enhance transparency and accountability, save Government the huge costs of regular Payroll Audits across the country since the data can be audited anytime at source, and will operate in decentralised biometric verification centres, saving users the cost of travelling to Accra for validation and verification.”

Source: Daily Guide Network

(Quotes via original reporting)