Ghana’s Finance Minister, Dr Cassiel Ato Forson, has issued a stern warning to public servants who validate salaries for non-existent government workers, commonly referred to as “ghost names”, vowing they will be held personally accountable for the financial losses.
Delivering the 2025 Mid-Year Budget Review in Parliament on Thursday, Dr Forson revealed that government is stepping up its crackdown on payroll fraud as part of its wider fiscal consolidation agenda.
“Going forward, we will enforce the monthly payroll validation process and strictly apply sanctions to all who validate ghosts for payment of salaries,” the Minister said in a firm tone.
“They will be personally liable for the loss of public funds.”
The warning follows the near-completion of a national payroll audit by the Ghana Audit Service, which uncovered significant irregularities across government departments.
According to Dr Forson, the audit, now 91% complete across all 16 regions has failed to verify the employment of over 14,000 individuals. Alarmingly, the exercise also identified 53,311 “separated staff”, a term referring to workers who are retired, resigned, dismissed, on unpaid leave, or even deceased, yet still listed on the public payroll.
“This is unacceptable. We are losing money to ghosts while real people and real needs go unattended,” he lamented.
The Ministry of Finance estimates that approximately GH¢150.4 million in unearned salaries was disbursed to these separated individuals and is now being targeted for recovery.
Dr Forson assured lawmakers that tighter controls will be introduced to prevent further abuse of the system, including enhanced monitoring, monthly validations, and long-term preventive mechanisms.
This sweeping cleanup of the payroll system is part of the government’s broader drive to restore fiscal discipline, reduce public sector waste, and ensure accountability in the face of ongoing economic recovery efforts.
The crackdown sends a clear message: the days of “ghosts” draining Ghana’s coffers are numbered.
