In a significant development on Wednesday, 10 January 2024, the Vice President, H.E. Dr. Mahamadu Bawumia, officially launched the seamlessly integrated databases of the National Identification Authority (NIA) and the Mechanized Payroll System operated by the Controller and Accountant General Department (CAGD). The purpose of this integration is to streamline the validation and verification processes for salaries of government workers.
The linked database is set to enforce the mandatory use of the Ghana Card for validating the identities of recruited public sector employees and pensioners. Its primary objective is to eliminate discrepancies such as “ghost names/accounts” from the government’s mechanized payroll system, ensuring that only legitimate government employees receive compensation.
This strategic move is a response to the National Identification System’s (NIS) capability to provide a secure biometric register with an advanced verification system. The NIS empowers authorities to track and trace all transactions, offering accurate and up-to-date information on each individual in real-time. This establishes a single source of truth for the verification of individuals within the system.
Notably, the Ghana Card uniquely identifies its bearer based on both biographic and biometric features.
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Vice President Dr. Bawumia emphasized that leveraging the NIA’s comprehensive biometric data of every Ghanaian will fortify the system against payroll fraud, facilitating real- time validation and verification of both new and existing employees.
He further asserted that this innovative system will contribute to improved data accuracy for decision-making, enhanced transparency, and accountability. It is expected to generate significant cost savings for the government by eliminating the need for frequent Payroll Audits nationwide, as data can be audited at the source anytime.
The integrated system will operate through decentralized biometric verification centres, sparing users the expense of travelling to the central office in Accra for validation. Existing government workers without their Ghana Card PIN on the Government of Ghana (GoG) payroll will be required to register at any of NIA’s 16 Regional and 276 District offices nationwide and submit their Ghana Card PIN to the nearest processing centres for inclusion in the payroll system.
The Vice President expressed commendation for the collaborative efforts of the NIA and the Controller and Accountant-General in making this integration a reality. He urged all public sector employees to obtain a Ghana Card promptly, emphasizing that failure to do so may result in a delay or non-receipt of salaries to prevent any inconvenience
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