News
Prez Mahama calls for bold decentralization of Accountant-General’s Department to curb payroll fraud
President John Mahama has called for bold steps to decentralize the Accountant-General’s Department, arguing that the current centralized system allows ghost names and other payroll irregularities to persist.
He made the remarks while addressing participants at the Annual Conference of the African Association of Accountants-General.
He explained that the Accountant-General currently manages the salaries of workers across the country, including teachers and nurses stationed in remote districts.
According to him, the long bureaucratic process involved in reporting absentee workers creates loopholes that allow some people to continue receiving salaries even when they are no longer at post.
President Mahama cited an example from the Auditor-General’s recent report, where a deceased government employee continued to receive a salary for 36 months, even though officials of the institution attended his funeral.
He said such cases demonstrate the urgent need to decentralize payroll administration.
He added that delays in reporting absenteeism from the district level to the regional office, then to the ministry, and finally to the Accountant-General, make it possible for salaries to keep going into the accounts of individuals who have deserted their posts.
These issues, he noted, are flagged every year by the Auditor-General as cases of financial loss to the state.
President Mahama argued that the bulk of public-sector workers, teachers and nurses, operate at the district level, so it makes sense to process their salaries closer to where they work.
He suggested establishing district treasuries to handle payroll, saying this would make it easier to confirm whether workers are truly at post.
He questioned the effectiveness of the current validation system, where workers are required to confirm their presence on the job every month.
He said validation often becomes a routine process without proper checks, allowing “ghost names” to reappear on the payroll even after attempts to remove them.
President Mahama stressed the need for a stronger, more accountable payroll structure, warning that without decisive action, the country will continue to lose money through avoidable irregularities.
By: Jacob Aggrey
A 30-year-old man has been sentenced to 25 years imprisonment with hard labour by the Bekwai Circuit Court for his role in a 2022 robbery at a mining site at Manso Akwasiso in the Ashanti South Region.
The convict, Dominic Ofori, also known as Fanta, was arrested on 16th February 2026 after years on the run. He pleaded guilty before the Bekwai Circuit Court to robbery contrary to Section 149 of the Criminal Offences Act, 1960 Act 29, and was accordingly sentenced to 25 years imprisonment with hard labour.
On March 20, 2022, the Manso Adubia District Police received intelligence that a group of armed men from Manso Abodom were planning to attack a mining site at Manso Akwasiso to rob the owner of gold concentrate. Acting on the information, police mounted a coordinated operation and laid an ambush at the site.
At about 5:30 pm the same day, four-armed men arrived at the site, fired indiscriminately, and robbed the miners of their gold concentrate. The police team on surveillance intervened, resulting in an exchange of gunfire.
Three of the suspects, Abu Abubakar, Musah Latif, and Gideon Takyi, sustained gunshot wounds and were pronounced dead on arrival at St Martins Catholic Hospital at Agroyesum. Dominic Ofori escaped at the time but was later arrested and put before the court.
The Ashanti South Regional Police Command has assured the public of its continued commitment to combating violent crimes and bringing offenders to justice.
The Ashanti Regional Police Command has arrested 45-year-old Isaac Boafo, also known as “Duabo King,” for allegedly publishing false news intended to cause fear and panic.
Police said the arrest follows a viral TikTok video in which Boafo claimed that four officers at the Central Police Station in Kumasi engaged in inappropriate conduct with commercial sex workers during night patrols in Asafo.
Officers from the Police Intelligence Directorate (Ashanti Region) apprehended Boafo after receiving intelligence about the video.
During questioning, he admitted to creating the video to attract views and engagement online, and acknowledged that he could not prove the allegations.
Boafo also admitted making comments about the President of the Republic for content purposes and could not defend those statements.
He has been formally charged and is in detention as investigations continue.
The Ashanti Regional Police have warned the public against publishing or sharing false information on social media, noting that such acts can cause fear, panic, and damage reputations.
They said anyone found engaging in similar conduct will face legal action.
By: Jacob Aggrey
