20,000 ghost names exorcised from YEA payroll

The Youth Employment Agency (YEA) has exorcised 20,000 ghost names from its payroll over the past three years.

An audit conducted by YEA further revealed that the presence of the ghost names cost the taxpayer GHS82.5 million annually.

The YEA is mandated by law to coordinate, facilitate and supervise employment for the youth and related matters in the country.

This was made known by the Minister for Information, Kojo Oppong Nkrumah at the maiden nation-building updates in Accra on Wednesday.

Commending the act by the agency, Mr Nkrumah said “Youth Employment Programme, one of the most significant things they have done is that, just by doing due diligence, saved us about GHS82. 5 million a year for the last three and half years. For all the numbers that they were claimed to have been on the Youth Employment Programme, by doing an audit, about 20,000 ghosts have been exorcised from that roll and the numbers about GHS82 million a year.”

He added that “They have also refocus they operations now to become a facilitator for other agencies , they are supporting other initiatives including what was described by the Ghana Football Association president as a game changer. About 1000 young people who are being paid monthly stipends because they are footballers”

In 2017, an internal audit carried out by YEA exposed a huge financial malfeasance believed to have cost the country GH $50 million.

The amount was believed to be a sum of unearned salaries paid to unposted beneficiaries, funds for official use which were paid into personal accounts, and procurement without adherence to due process.