National Service Allowance: Over 120,000 Service Personnel Received Payments for Multiple Years

• The National Service Authority made massive and unlawful payments to over 100,000 National Service Personnel
• A Technical and Forensic Audit Report on corruption at the NSA was presented to Parliament on October 1, 2025
• Former Deputy Executive Director, Gifty Oware-Mensah, was also found to have enrolled herself through this scheme

A forensic audit by the Auditor-General has indicated that the National Service Authority (NSA) made irregular payments totalling GH¢1.01 billion to National Service Personnel, who received allowances beyond the mandated 12-month service period.

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Joy News reported that the audit, which examined payroll data between 2018 and 2024, found that 120,777 service personnel were paid more than the approved 13-month limit.

According to the Technical and Forensic Audit Report, which was presented to Parliament on October 1, 2025, some individuals were paid several years after their service had officially ended.

The findings form part of a broader investigation that uncovered GH¢2.45 billion in financial irregularities at the NSA, including payments to vendors without contracts or proof of delivery.

The Auditor-General has described the anomalies as evidence of 'serious lapses in payroll management and internal controls' within the authority and recommended a comprehensive review of the payroll system and the prosecution of those responsible.

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Oware-Mensah enrolled herself in NSA salary scheme

The former Deputy Executive Director of the National Service Authority, Gifty Oware-Mensah, was also found to have enrolled herself on the scheme.

The Technical and Forensic Audit Report conducted by the Auditor-General found that she had received the regular GH¢559 per month allowance for a year.

The Auditor-General's report further indicated that the former Executive Director of the NSA, Mustapha Ussif, approved Oware-Mensah's Personal Identification Number on April 22, 2021.

Through this alleged corrupt scheme, the former senior manager reportedly stole GH¢6,708.

According to the report, Oware-Mensah's enrolment was based on a Master of Public Administration degree she acquired from the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST).

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The Auditor-General's Forensic Audit Report on the NSA scandal also indicated that the total financial 'irregularities' over the period were GH¢2.5 billion.

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An amount of GH¢989 million was paid to personnel without the required biometric or monthly attendance verification.

There was also GH¢302 million paid to vendors without contracts, invoices, or evidence of work done, according to the report.

The audit also found that the software used by the authority was fit for purpose despite some weaknesses in its processes.

NSA director posted as NSS volunteer

YEN.com.gh also previously reported that the former Director-General of the National Service Authority, Osei Assibey Antwi, was implicated in alleged payroll fraud in 2022/2023.

According to The Fourth State, he was assigned an EZWICH card and posted to the Greater Accra region after his registration, and was paid GH¢516,000 every month for 16 months.

Proofreading by Bruce Douglas, copy editor at YEN.com.gh.

Source: YEN.com.gh