Allegations of corruption at Ghana’s National Service Authority (NSA) have deepened after a shocking audit uncovered that infants, some under one year old, were fraudulently placed on the payroll, diverting funds meant for genuine service personnel.
The discovery forced the Ministry of Youth Development and Empowerment to suspend the NSA’s Central Management System (CMS) on June 18, following President Mahama’s directive to safeguard the integrity of postings. The suspension has delayed this year’s national service assignments.
“If the system were foolproof, we wouldn’t have had children under one year without a Ghana Card being on our payroll,” an NSA official reportedly admitted. “We had almost 1,000 kids under one year on our payroll, on our system.”
The audit further exposed glaring loopholes. “But we were thinking that if the system were to be foolproof, the system would have detected that these people were minors. Because it is done, and it can be done. To the extent that the system can determine that these ones are below the age of 18, but that was not done,” the official explained.
Equally troubling, investigators found nearly 3,000 people above the age of 80 still receiving monthly allowances, despite the official service exit age being 40. “Meanwhile, the exit years for everybody is 40 years. So how come people above 40 years were found under the system?” the official asked.
Despite the scandal, the Authority has promised that the posting of personnel will proceed on November 1, 2025. Acting Executive Director Ruth Seddoh reassured anxious graduates: “The transition team has been put in place and the framework for the new system has been set up… I can assure any prospective personnel to calm down, as by November 1 posting will be done.”
The revelations have already led to internal reshuffling, including moving former acting Director Felix Gyamfi to the Ministry of Finance. Leadership now says reforms are underway to build a payroll system that is transparent, accountable, and resistant to fraud.
