The National Service Authority (NSA) has said that it would not allow graduates without the national identification card (Ghana Card) to receive payroll or allowances.
The Authority said this is to prevent payroll fraud and tighten payroll controls.
Mr Felix Gyamfi, Director General of NSA, speaking at a press briefing said the move is to enforce stricter enrollment measures to ensure only eligible personnel are enlisted.
“If you do not have a valid Ghana Card ID, you will not be allowed into our system. If you are a prospective graduate without a Ghana Card, you will not be permitted to undertake national service. These are some of the steps we are taking to remove ghost names,” he said.
The NSA’s decision follows an extensive audit commissioned by the Finance Ministry, which uncovered 81,885 suspected ghost names on the national service payroll.
The verification exercise was a prerequisite for settling outstanding allowances dating back to August 2024.
Mr Gyamfi blamed the persistence of fraudulent enrollments on what he described as weak oversight by the previous administration. “This was a leadership failure. The necessary checks that should have been in place to safeguard taxpayers’ money were ignored,” he stated.
While the directive is expected to tighten payroll controls, it also poses challenges for graduates who have yet to obtain a Ghana Card.
With registration deadlines approaching, affected students may need to fast-track their national identification process to ensure eligibility. Meanwhile, obtaining a Ghana card currently is a hurdle as long queues, time constraints and high cost awaits individuals.
