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The Controller and Accountant-General’s Department (CAGD) announced that government employees without valid National Identification Authority (NIA) details captured in the government payroll system would have their salaries suspended from September 15, 2026.

The directive followed a notice issued on August 24, 2026, ahead of a nationwide employee re-verification exercise. The Department identified missing NIA numbers and discrepancies between payroll records and the National Identification Authority’s database as the main concerns.

Important clarification: The reports reviewed confirm the salary suspension directive, but the exact figure of over 2,000 workers whose salaries have actually been suspended could not be independently verified from the sources available for this report. The number should be attributed to an official statement or a reliable report before publication as a confirmed outcome.

Sources: Citi Newsroom | Adom Online

Key Takeaways

• The CAGD directed that salaries of public sector workers without valid NIA details on the government payroll be suspended from September 15, 2026.
• The directive followed discrepancies identified during the rollout of the upgraded electronic payslip system.
• Some employees had no Ghana Card details recorded, while others had identification numbers that did not match NIA records.
• Human Resource departments have been instructed to correct affected payroll records and submit the required documentation for validation.
• Affected employees should contact their institutional Human Resource departments to establish whether their records require correction.

Controller Suspends Salaries Over Missing Ghana Card Details

The Controller and Accountant-General’s Department has moved to enforce stricter identity verification on Ghana’s public sector payroll, warning that workers without valid Ghana Card details recorded in the system risk losing access to their monthly salaries.

The directive forms part of a nationwide employee re-verification exercise intended to ensure that government payroll records correspond with verified identities held by the National Identification Authority.

In a notice issued on August 24, 2026, the Department instructed Human Resource departments across Ministries, Departments and Agencies to ensure that every employee’s correct NIA number was captured in the government payroll system.

The directive took effect on September 15, 2026.

Reports circulating on the issue have cited more than 2,000 public sector workers in connection with the salary suspension. However, the precise number of workers whose salaries have actually been withheld requires further confirmation from the CAGD.

Why Are Workers’ Salaries Being Suspended?

According to the CAGD, the upgraded Employee Payslip system exposed inconsistencies in employee identification records.

The problems reportedly fall into two main categories.

1. Missing Ghana Card details

Some workers have no NIA identification numbers recorded in the government payroll system. This prevents the required link between their employment records and their verified national identities.

2. Mismatched identification numbers

Other workers have Ghana Card numbers recorded on the payroll that do not correspond with the records held by the National Identification Authority.

These discrepancies have affected some employees’ ability to access their electronic payslips and prompted the Department to require corrections before the nationwide re-verification exercise.

The measure is intended to strengthen payroll integrity, improve employee verification and reduce the risk of irregular payments.

What Must Affected Public Sector Workers Do?

The CAGD has directed institutional Human Resource departments to identify affected employees and facilitate the correction of their records.

The prescribed process includes checking the NIA details captured on the payroll, correcting inaccurate numbers and submitting the required applications and supporting documentation to the Department for validation.

Where a correction or insertion is necessary, the submission must include a cover letter from the head of the institution authorising the change.

Employees who suspect that their salaries have been affected should therefore contact their institutional Human Resource departments promptly to verify their payroll status.

Workers should also ensure that the Ghana Card details they provide match their official NIA records.

Are Teachers Affected by the Directive?

Yes. The directive applies to public sector employees on the government payroll, including eligible employees of the Ghana Education Service and other public institutions.

Teachers whose Ghana Card details are missing or inconsistent with NIA records may therefore need to have their payroll information corrected.

The CAGD has previously identified payroll verification and documentation as important requirements for processing employee payments. In a separate September 2026 clarification concerning promotion arrears, the Department explained that it could process valid cases only after receiving the required documentation from the Ghana Education Service.

Teachers should distinguish between salary suspension arising from identity verification and delays in promotion-related salary adjustments. These are separate payroll issues and may require different corrective procedures.

What the Directive Means for Public Sector Payroll Management

The directive forms part of wider efforts to strengthen payroll controls and ensure that salaries are paid to properly verified employees.

In April 2026, the Ministry of Finance reported that payroll reforms had eliminated more than 67,000 suspected or ineligible payroll entries, which the government described as ghost names.

Linking payroll records to verified national identities can help identify duplicate records, improve accountability and protect public funds. However, the verification process also needs effective procedures for correcting genuine errors so that legitimate employees are not left without their salaries because of administrative discrepancies.

For affected workers, timely communication between employees, institutional Human Resource departments, the CAGD and the NIA will be essential.

Conclusion

The Controller and Accountant-General’s Department has enforced a requirement for public sector workers to have valid Ghana Card details accurately captured in the government payroll system.

Employees with missing or mismatched identification records risk salary suspension under the directive that took effect on September 15, 2026.

Public sector workers should verify their payroll records through their respective Human Resource departments and complete any required corrections without delay.

EducateGhana.com will update this report when an official figure confirming the number of workers whose salaries have actually been suspended becomes available.

About the Author

Ferdinand Ellis is an education researcher, curriculum specialist, teacher, education policy analyst and journalist. He covers Ghana’s education system, public sector developments, teacher welfare and government policy.

Sources

• Citi Newsroom. (2026, August 26). Gov’t to suspend salaries of workers without valid Ghana Card details from Sept. 15. https://www.citinewsroom.com/2026/08/govt-to-suspend-salaries-of-workers-without-valid-ghana-card-details-from-sept-15/
• Adom Online. (2026, August 26). Workers without valid Ghana Card details risk salary suspension from September 15: CAGD. https://www.adomonline.com/workers-without-valid-ghana-card-details-risk-salary-suspension-from-september-15-cagd/
• Ghana News Agency. (2026, September 27). CAGD clarifies payroll validation process for promoted teachers. https://gna.org.gh/2026/09/cagd-clarifies-payroll-validation-process-for-promoted-teachers/
• Ministry of Finance. (2026, April 24). Payroll reforms eliminate over 67,000 ghost names; saves government millions. https://mofep.gov.gh/news-and-events/2026-04-24/payroll-reforms-eliminate-over-67000-ghost-names-saves-govt-millions-dep.-finance-minister