Finance Minister, Ken Ofori-Atta, has stated that government will conclude on the on-going policy to eliminate ghost workers from its payroll.

Addressing the media on measures to reduce economic hardships, he said, this exercise is expected to be completed by end of December, 2022.

Vice President, Dr Mahamudu Bawumia on April 20 last year assured Ghanaians that ghost names on government's payroll will soon become a thing of the past.

He said government is building a digital ecosystem in terms of provision of government services including passport and driver’s license acquisitions that will boost development.

“We are also linking the National ID card with the database at the Controller and Accountant General Department. This is where the government payment roll is done; you have known that for many years we have been struggling with this problem of ghost workers on government payroll.

“Now, this linkage should be completed in the next few months with the payroll of the national ID card”, he disclosed at the launch of the Mobile Technology for Development Conference organized by the Ghana Telecommunications Chamber.

“And once that is completed the problem of ghost workers on government payroll which has bedeviled our public financial system for many years will become history. That problem will no longer exist because every government worker will have a unique set of fingerprints and ghosts [nonexistent or dead people] will not have any fingerprints. So this is a major point that we are looking at”, the Vice President emphasized.

Mr Ofori-Atta also announced other measures to enable the economy to bounce back.

In his address on Thursday, he said there will also be a 30% salary cut for all Cabinet Ministers and heads of State-Owned Enterprises beginning in April 2022 and lasting until the end of the fiscal year.

Meanwhile, members of the Council of State have resolved to reduce their monthly allowances by 20% until the end of the year due to the country’s economic challenges.

According to the Chairman of the Council, Nana Otuo Serebour II, the move is to help support Ghanaians amid the difficulties people are facing.

“Mr President, in tandem with your decision, we as the Council of State have also decided that we will reduce our monthly allowances by 20% until the end of this year. This move is our way of contributing our widow’s mite to efforts towards economic recovery,” he said.