Verify Ghana Card by March 15 or Forfeit Salary — CAGD

The Controller and Accountant-General’s Department (CAGD) has issued a March 15, 2026 deadline for all public sector workers to verify their Ghana Card details or face a total suspension of salary payments.

The directive, contained in a high-priority memo dated February 11, follows the rollout of a new e-Payslip platform integrated with the National Identification Authority (NIA) database. The system upgrade has exposed what officials describe as “critical data discrepancies” within the government’s mechanised payroll.

“Following the rollout of the platform, the department identified critical data discrepancies which prevent some employees from accessing their pay slips. These discrepancies are due to the National Identification Authority (NIA) numbers captured on the payroll system not corresponding with the employee’s NIA records,” the CAGD said in a statement.

The Department warned that failure to regularise records by the deadline will trigger an automatic freeze on affected workers’ salaries, with no payments processed until the biometric verification is completed.

The exercise forms part of a broader public financial management reform aimed at eliminating “ghost names” and ensuring that salary payments go only to verified, living employees.

The reconciliation directive affects some of the largest public institutions, including the Ghana Education Service, Ghana Health Service, the Prisons, Immigration and National Fire Services, as well as the Judicial Service, Audit Service and the Electoral Commission.

The latest move follows recent payroll clean-up efforts. In January 2026, the CAGD suspended the salaries of 2,563 workers who failed to participate in a nationwide headcount. In late 2025, the National Service Authority removed more than 8,000 ghost names, preventing an estimated annual loss of GH¢68 million.

Vice President Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia has previously underscored the role of biometric verification in tackling payroll fraud, stating that “ghosts don’t have fingerprints.”

Affected employees have been directed to log onto the government payroll portal using their NIA numbers to confirm compliance. Those flagged must submit a photocopy of their Ghana Card, employee number and a formal request for correction to their respective Human Resource departments for onward submission to the CAGD.

The Department insists the deadline will not be extended.