3,197 Ghost names removed from public payroll
Three thousand one hundred and ninety-seven ghost names have been removed from the payrolls of ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs), as well as metropolitan, municipal and district assemblies (MMDAs) in the Greater Accra Region from April to June this year.
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According to the Controller and Accountant General’s Department (CAGD), which carried out the exercise, the removal was made possible as a result of the implementation of the Electronic Salary Payment Voucher (E-SPV).
In view of the advantages of the E-SPV, the Controller and Accountant General, Mrs Grace Adzroe, has asked all heads of MDAs and MMDAs, including district finance officers and heads of accounts, to take keen interest in the E-SPV to help the CAGD to improve the efficiency of the payroll system.
Addressing the annual conference of the CAGD in Koforidua yesterday, she said the department had over the years initiated various reforms to maintain financial discipline in public financial management to support the government’s efforts at attaining macro-economic stability.
The three-day conference is on the theme, "Financial discipline: The role of the public sector accountant.”
"To realise the benefits of these reforms, the department is reviewing the implementation strategies of the reforms to redefine new courses towards achieving the goal of providing efficient financial management services to the government and the general public," she added.
She said the implementation of the Ghana Integrated Financial Management Information System (GIFMIS) was also critical public financial management reform being undertaken by the government.
Mrs Adzroe told the conference that the department had completed significant programmes and activities under the phase one of the GIFMIS.
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However, she noted that the "first phase has been extended to December 2014 to enable the department to complete outstanding issues under the phase one before the second phase starts in 2015."
According to her, the second phase of the project will cover a broader spectrum of the public sector financial management to enable the government to realise the full benefits of the reforms and it is expected that the implementation of the system will cover other public funds such as donor funds, statutory funds and internally generated funds at all levels of the governance.
Biometric registration
The introduction of the biometric registration by the Ministry of Finance is intended to ensure a single identity of staff on the payroll and also eliminate unauthorised names, she said. However, a review of the system has revealed certain weaknesses which require the strengthening of the existing control, she added.
Aim of E-Zwich
The aim of using the E-zwich data, according to Mrs Adzroe, is to eliminate double bank accounts and duplication of names from the database of the payroll.
In line with that objective, the Bank of Ghana has issued a directive to commercial and rural banks, as well as savings and loans companies, to make the E-Zwich services available at their branches to facilitate the processs.
The acting Head of the Civil Service, Nana Agyekum Dwamena, called for transparency and accountability from the participants.
He used the opportunity to launch the guidelines for the E-SPV and the transport policy of the CAGD.
The Deputy Eastern Regional Minister, Ms Mavis Ama Frimpong, called for prudent financial management from public sector accountants.