Salaries of over 2500 government workers suspended after nationwide headcount snub

Exclusive: Payroll Purge – Salaries of Over 2,500 Government Workers Suspended After Nationwide Headcount Snub

In a sweeping move to cleanse the public payroll, the Controller and Accountant-General’s Department (CAGD) has suspended the salaries of 2,563 government employees. The drastic action follows their failure to present themselves for a compulsory nationwide headcount exercise.

The suspension, affecting the January 2026 payroll, was implemented on the direct recommendation of the Auditor-General. It marks a significant escalation in the government’s crackdown on ghost names and irregularities within the public sector wage bill.

A statement issued today by Cephas N. Bosoo, Head of Public Relations for the CAGD, confirmed that while salaries for the majority of the workforce have been processed, payments for the identified 2,563 personnel have been halted.

The affected staff “failed to avail themselves during the nation-wide headcount exercise conducted across various Ministries, Departments, and Agencies in 2025 by the Ghana Audit Service,” the statement read.

The audit service’s verification drive was designed to physically confirm government employees, eliminate non-existent workers from the system, and ensure stricter financial accountability.

The department has issued an urgent directive, calling on all impacted individuals to “contact the Ghana Audit Service promptly for necessary clearance.” Their salaries will only be reinstated after their employment status is formally verified and cleared by the audit service.

Despite the punitive measure, the CAGD sought to reassure the general public, reiterating its “continued commitment to transparency, accountability and the timely payment of salaries in accordance with established Public Financial Management Laws.”

This move underscores the government’s intensified efforts to curb payroll fraud and redirect public funds, a longstanding challenge for the national treasury.