Ghana’s President John Dramani Mahama has ordered an investigation into the National Service Authority after uncovering over 81,000 suspected ghost names on its payroll. The names were found during a headcount aimed at clearing arrears in allowance payments. The agency, responsible for overseeing one-year mandatory placements for graduates, has faced scrutiny over these discrepancies.
It remains unclear how much money may have been paid under the ghost names. The finance ministry, however, confirmed that 226 million Ghana cedis ($14.6 million) had been paid to over 98,000 legitimate payees.
Mahama, who resumed office in January, has vowed to eliminate corruption in the oil and gold-rich country, which is recovering from its worst economic crisis in decades.
In a separate development, Ghana’s anti-corruption body, the Office of the Special Prosecutor, has declared former Finance Minister Ken Ofori-Atta a “wanted fugitive” in connection with five transactions under investigation for corruption. Ofori-Atta has not yet responded to the allegations.