Auditor-General Orders Removal of 3,120 Teachers from Government Payroll
The Auditor-General has directed the immediate removal of 6,263 unaccounted-for staff from Ghana’s mechanised payroll following the conclusion of a nationwide payroll audit across Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) as well as Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies (MMDAs).
In a formal letter dated 13 January 2026 and addressed to the Controller and Accountant-General, the Auditor-General, Johnson Akuamoah Asiedu, disclosed that the affected workers could not be verified during a comprehensive headcount and verification exercise conducted nationwide.
According to the Auditor-General, the audit was carried out pursuant to an earlier directive issued in March 2025 to validate staff on the government payroll under the mechanised salary system. However, despite the exercise, thousands of names on the payroll could not be linked to physically existing or verifiable staff.
“I have concluded the audit and noted that Six thousand, Two hundred and Sixty-three (6,263) personnel on the payroll could not be accounted for during the headcount and verification exercise,” the Auditor-General stated, recommending their immediate deletion from the payroll.
Ghana Education Service Most Affected
The Ministry of Education emerged as the most affected sector, with the Ghana Education Service (GES) alone accounting for 3,120 unverified staff, representing nearly half of the total number of unaccounted workers nationwide. Other affected agencies under the education sector include the Ministry of Education itself with 267 staff, the Ghana TVET Service with 77, the Ghana Library Board with 4, and the National Service Secretariat with 6 unaccounted personnel.
Health, Local Government Also Hit Hard
The health sector also recorded significant discrepancies. The Ministry of Health and its allied institutions collectively accounted for hundreds of unverified staff, including 587 at the Ministry of Health, 566 at the Ghana Health Service, 174 at the Christian Health Association of Ghana (CHAG), and 21 at the National Ambulance Service.
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Similarly, the Local Government Service recorded 578 unaccounted staff, while the Controller and Accountant-General’s Department itself had 49 names that could not be verified during the audit exercise.
Wider Implications
Other institutions affected include the Judicial Service, Electoral Commission, Security Services, Foreign Affairs Ministry, CSIR, National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO), and several commissions and statutory bodies.
The Auditor-General copied the Minister of Finance, the Chief Director of the Ministry of Finance, and the Director of Payroll at the Controller and Accountant-General’s Department, signaling the financial and administrative seriousness of the findings.
Payroll Clean-Up Expected
The directive is expected to lead to significant savings for the public purse, as the removal of ghost names and unverified workers will reduce unwarranted salary payments. The findings also raise fresh concerns about payroll management, internal controls, and personnel validation across the public sector.
The Controller and Accountant-General’s Department is expected to act promptly on the Auditor-General’s recommendation to delete the affected names and strengthen payroll monitoring systems to prevent future irregularities.
See the letter below:
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