The Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP) has disclosed that it blocked GHC 2,854,144.80 in unearned salaries linked to ghost workers during a corruption risk assessment of government payroll in the Northern Region.
The findings, captured in the OSP’s 2025 Half-Year Report, followed a pilot investigation conducted between December 2023 and April 2024 in partnership with the Controller and Accountant General’s Department (CAGD). The probe targeted payroll records at educational institutions under the Ghana Education Service (GES) and the Tamale Teaching Hospital.
According to the report, the blocked funds represented salaries that had been wrongly paid to deceased persons, retirees, staff who had vacated their posts, and missing or untraceable employees, commonly referred to as “ghost names.”
The OSP noted that the action not only stopped the immediate payments but also saved the country GHC 34.25 million for the 2024 financial year, with recurring savings projected for future years. “This saving would have remained undetected but for the joint investigation and assessment by the OSP and CAGD,” the report stated.
Beyond blocking ghost salaries, the OSP announced that it is actively recovering unearned salaries already paid and has secured six convictions and restitution payments within the period under review. It is also working with the CAGD to introduce stronger internal controls in payroll processing to substantially curb future irregularities.
The report further revealed that the payroll investigation will not be limited to the Northern Region. Under Phase I, the OSP and CAGD will extend the exercise to all 15 remaining regions of the country to ensure a comprehensive purge of ghost names from the government payroll.
The OSP stressed that those found culpable of corruption or corruption-related offences will face prosecution as part of broader efforts to strengthen accountability and protect public resources.
