Auditor-General recovers GH¢57.2 million from ghost salary payments
The Auditor-General has recovered GH¢57.2 million in unearned salaries paid to public sector workers who either abandoned their posts or failed mandatory payroll validation checks.
According to official records, the recoveries made between 2023 and April 2026 were first lodged in a Special Recoveries Account held with commercial banks before being transferred into the Consolidated Fund in line with the Public Financial Management Act, 2016 (Act 921).
Speaking in an interview with the Daily Graphic, Auditor-General Johnson Akuamoah Asiedu said the development reflects intensified efforts to eliminate “ghost names” from the public payroll system.
He stated that audit teams are strictly enforcing validation procedures and will surcharge anyone found to have received unearned salaries.
“We are determined to completely do away with ghost names on the payroll,” he said, adding that supervisors who certify invalid payroll entries would also be held personally liable.
Breakdown of the figures shows that GH¢29.5 million was recovered in 2023 and 2024 from workers who either could not be validated or had abandoned post. In 2025, intensified audits led to GH¢20.4 million in additional recoveries. Between January and April 2026, a further GH¢7.3 million was retrieved, bringing the total to GH¢57.2 million.
The Auditor-General explained that once discrepancies are detected through payroll audits, affected individuals are issued surcharges requiring repayment into the Special Recoveries Account. Failure to comply may lead to deductions from future earnings or legal action through the courts.
He further warned that supervisors and heads of institutions who knowingly approve inaccurate payrolls would not be spared sanctions, including personal surcharges and disciplinary measures.
Mr Asiedu added that future reports will include public disclosure of names of individuals and supervisors involved in payroll infractions as a deterrent against abuse.
He noted that the Public Accounts Committee of Parliament has welcomed the recoveries, describing them as a significant step in combating payroll fraud in the public sector.
The Auditor-General assured that validation exercises are now conducted quarterly and reaffirmed that no public sector worker will remain on the payroll without confirmed proof of being at post.
“Ghost names will become a thing of the past,” he stated.
At the time of filing this report, some appeals from affected individuals were still being reviewed, but the Auditor-General emphasized that recovery efforts would continue until the payroll system is fully sanitised.