Finance Minister Dr. Cassiel Ato Forson has issued a strong warning to public sector officials who knowingly validate the inclusion of non-existent or unqualified individuals on the government payroll. He stated that those found complicit in payroll fraud will be held personally accountable. During an interview on the Citi Breakfast Show, following his presentation of the 2025 Mid-Year Budget Review, Dr. Forson revealed that ongoing audits have uncovered a significant number of irregularities in the public wage system.
“So far, we’ve found about 14,000 individuals that we cannot validate. We cannot locate them. They may be ghosts,” he said, noting that these individuals span various sectors. In addition to the suspected ghost names, Dr. Forson disclosed that approximately 53,000 “separated staff” — individuals who are retired, deceased, dismissed, or otherwise no longer eligible — are still appearing on the government’s payroll.
“These are individuals who should not be on the payroll,” he emphasised. “I am awaiting the Auditor-General’s final numbers. Not only the Controller and Accountant-General’s Department, but all parties involved have questions to answer.”
Dr. Forson’s comments highlight systemic weaknesses in Ghana’s public payroll validation processes and signal a renewed push to clean up the system as part of wider public financial management reforms.
In a direct warning to school heads, hospital administrators, and other government officials involved in staff validation, he said:
“Let me use your medium to send a caution to those who validate ghosts across the economy. You are playing with public funds and may be personally liable for the validations you’ve done over the years.”
“If you validate ghosts and knowingly allow someone who is not supposed to be on the payroll to receive public funds, we will hold you responsible,” the Minister added.
By: Abigail Arthur
