Dr Cassiel Ato Forson, the Minister of Finance, has revealed that a nationwide payroll audit has uncovered 14,000 ghost workers.
According to Ato Forson, the audit also revealed 53,307 separated staff still on payroll.
Ato Forson emphasised that the Ghana Audit Service was commissioned by his Ministry to conduct the payroll audit across all 16 regions, and they have completed 91 per cent of the audit.
Speaking during the presentation of the 2025 Mid-Year Budget Review in Parliament on Thursday, July 24, 2025, Dr Ato Forson stated, “So far, the Audit Service has not been able to identify or verify more than 14,000 workers,” the minister told Parliament.
“The Audit Service expects to recover a minimum of GHS150.4 million in unearned salaries from these separated staff over the 2023 and 2024 period alone,” he stated.
The Finance Minister added that the audit findings are alarming and revealed a monthly payroll validation system.
“Going forward, we will enforce the monthly payroll validation system and strictly apply sanctions to anyone who violates the process of paying salaries,” he added.
Meanwhile, Dr Cassiel Ato Forson has declared that the Ghanaian cedi is no longer depreciating.
According to him, the “cedi no apicki”.
He added, “This performance reflects the positive impact of sound fiscal and monetary policies, growth in gold and cocoa exports, and steady remittance flows,” he told Parliament.
“We will continue to implement prudent policies to preserve the value of our currency, reduce inflation, and ensure economic stability for all,” Dr Forson added.
He, however, blamed the former Akufo-Addo administration for causing economic hardship with the Domestic Debt Exchange Programme (DDEP).
“Mismanagement of our public finances by the previous administration led to devastating haircuts through the Domestic Debt Exchange Programme (DDEP), which denied pensioners and the middle class their lifetime savings, livelihoods and dignity,” he told the House.
