SSNIT database to fight ghost names in government payroll

The perennial complaints by governments of public sector wage bills being inundated with corrupt practices such as false claims and ghost names will now be dealt with by the database of the Social Security and National Insurance Trust.

Finance Minister Ken Ofori-Atta Thursday announced that from April 2017, “all workers who have not been biometrically registered with SSNIT will be taken off government payroll”.

The measure, he told parliament as he delivered the 2017 budget statement, will be used as a filter for the payment of public sector workers and improve payroll management.

“Mr. Speaker, the size of the public-sector compensation bill (wages, salaries, & other costs), which accounts for a significant proportion of domestic revenue, is a major concern for Government. It is one of the ‘Big-Three’ budget line items that continue to narrow Government’s choices in pursuing higher economic growth and development programmes.

“The SSNIT database will be used as a filter for the payment of public sector workers. Starting in April, all workers who have not been biometrically registered with SSNIT will be taken off Government payroll,” he said.