President John Dramani Mahama has intensified efforts to tackle the National Service Scheme (NSS) ghost names scandal, directing law enforcement agencies to declare all culprits wanted and freeze their assets.
Speaking during his State of the Nation Address, the President announced strict measures under his ‘Operation Recover All Loot’ initiative to ensure accountability in public institutions.
Over the weekend, the National Intelligence Bureau (NIB) arrested Yaw Danso, an Accountant at the National Service Authority (NSA), in connection with payroll fraud.
His arrest follows that of Kwaku Ohene Gyan, the former Deputy Director of Operations at the NSA, who was taken into custody on February 22, 2025.
Reports indicate that the fraudulent scheme involved more than 80,000 ghost names, costing the state over 50 million Ghana cedis monthly, with some suspects believed to have fled the country, prompting heightened security efforts to track them down.
“As part of our Operation Recover All Loot policy, I have already tasked our investigative bodies to bring the culprits of the national service ghost name scandal to justice,” President Mahama stated.
“Such brazen theft of public funds must not go unpunished. Unfortunately, some suspects are believed to have left the country already.”
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Shifting focus to education, President Mahama reaffirmed his administration’s commitment to the Free Senior High School (SHS) program, dismissing claims that it would be scrapped stating “I have directed that the suspects be declared wanted, and their assets traced and frozen until investigations are completed.
“I am determined to make Free SHS better by improving its implementation. For the record, students who have benefited from Free SHS since its inception are about 3.4 million.The previous administration’s claim of 5.1 million beneficiaries was an exaggerated and false narrative meant to gain political credit.”
He further announced plans to uncap the Ghana Education Trust Fund (GETFund) to accelerate school infrastructure expansion, resolve challenges with the double-track system, and complete stalled educational projects.
To fund these initiatives, the President revealed that the Education and Finance Ministries are working on new strategies to optimize GET Fund resources.
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Source: ATLFMNEWS
