Audit exposes babies & Pensioners on National Service payroll

Corruption at the National Service Authority (NSA) has reached alarming levels, with a recent audit uncovering that more than 1,000 babies — some less than a year old — were listed on its payroll. The revelations highlight major loopholes in the Authority’s Central Management System (CMS), draining resources intended for legitimate national service personnel.

The Ministry of Youth Development and Empowerment, acting under the directive of President John Mahama, suspended the CMS on 18 June over integrity concerns. The suspension has since stalled the release of this year’s national service postings.

An NSA official, speaking on condition of anonymity, admitted to systemic failures in detecting fraudulent entries. “If the system were foolproof, we wouldn’t have had children under one year without a Ghana Card being on our payroll. We had almost 1,000 kids under one year on our payroll,” the official said.

The audit also revealed that about 3,000 individuals aged over 80 were still drawing allowances, despite the official exit age for service personnel being 40. “How come people above 40 years were found under the system?” the official queried, underscoring the gravity of the flaws.

In response to mounting concerns, Acting Executive Director Ruth Seddoh assured prospective personnel that service postings would resume soon. “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 1 November postings will be done,” she told Accra-based news channel , JoyNews.

The scandal has already led to administrative shake-ups, including the reassignment of former Acting Director Felix Gyamfi to the Ministry of Finance. Reforms are now underway to strengthen payroll controls and prevent future abuses.

The revelations have sparked public outrage, with critics calling for stronger oversight to protect state resources and ensure transparency at the Authority.