The Controller and Accountant-General’s Department (CAGD) is rolling out new measures to tighten transparency in Ghana’s payroll system, following rising concerns about wrongful deductions, delayed reinstatements, and suspected fraud.
Appearing before the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) on Monday, August 19, Controller and Accountant-General Kwasi Agyei said his office would begin publicizing telephone lines and email addresses across regional offices next week to enable citizens to directly report payroll issues, suspected fraud, or wrongful validation of salaries.
“We are going to the extent of identifying validators and bringing them to book if they validate people who have not worked for a particular month,” Mr. Agyei stressed, adding that the government is determined to ensure only legitimate employees remain on the payroll.
The move comes amid concerns raised by PAC Chairperson Abena Osei Asare, who questioned why reinstating validated staff back onto the payroll takes so long, and why some rural banks continue to withhold wrongful salary payments despite repeated notices.
On his part, Deputy Finance Minister Thomas Ampem Nyarko disclosed that allegations of payroll-related fraud have already been referred to investigative bodies.
“Fortunately, because these things are done on the system, it is possible for us to trace who activated or deactivated a name on the payroll,” he explained.
Mr. Agyei further noted that the government is working with the Ministry of Finance to retrieve public funds locked up in rural banks, insisting:
“You can’t have public funds sitting in your account even when your attention has been drawn that these are monies belonging to government.”
The government has pledged to strengthen oversight mechanisms to protect the integrity of the payroll system, but also called for public collaboration to root out fraudulent practices.
