President John Dramani Mahama says persistent payroll irregularities underline the need for urgent decentralisation within Ghana’s public financial management system.
Speaking at the Annual Conference of the African Association of Accountants General in Accra, he criticised the current arrangement in which the Accountant-General manages payroll for workers nationwide, including frontline staff in remote communities.
He cited delays in reporting absenteeism and desertion, arguing that the slow, centralised communication chain allows salaries to continue flowing to workers who have abandoned their posts.
“By the time somebody writes a letter to the region, the region sends it to the ministry, the ministry sends it to the Accountant-General, some 3, 4, 5, 6 months have passed,” he noted.
Mahama also referenced a recurring audit finding in which the Auditor-General flags unearned salaries each year.
He highlighted an instance in which an employee who had died continued to receive salary credits for 36 months despite officials having attended the funeral, calling it an “extreme” illustration of how systemic gaps persist.
He maintained that a decentralised system would allow quicker verification, faster reporting, and tighter controls, preventing such losses.
