A recent audit has exposed a massive scandal at Ghana’s National Service Authority (NSA), revealing that over 1,000 babies, some less than a year old, were listed on its payroll. This has sparked widespread outrage and calls for stronger oversight to protect state resources. The audit also found approximately 3,000 individuals over 80 years old receiving monthly allowances, despite the official exit age being 40.
Over 1,000 infants, including newborns, were discovered to be receiving allowances meant for national service personnel.
The elderly ghost names about 3,000 individuals above 80 years old were found to be drawing allowances, despite being beyond the official service exit age of 40.
The NSA’s Central Management System (CMS) failed to detect and flag these fraudulent entries, highlighting major loopholes in the system.
The scandal has led to the reassignment of former Acting Director Felix Gyamfi to the Ministry of Finance.
The NSA is working to implement a new system to ensure accurate and transparent payroll management.
The Acting Executive Director Ruth Seddoh has assured prospective personnel that service postings will resume on November 1, 2025.
The inclusion of ghost names and infants on the payroll has resulted in significant financial losses for the country.
The scandal also highlights deeper governance challenges that Ghana needs to address to prevent such abuses in the future.
Source: my JoyOnline