The Controller and Accountant General’s Department (CAGD) directive for all public sector workers to register with the National Identification Authority (NIA) and obtain a Ghana Card or forfeit their salaries by December 1, 2021 has been temporally suspended.
However, the Controller and Accountant General’s Department has been tasked to rather port the names of public sector workers in their existing database onto the National Identification Authority (NIA) platform and thereafter, inform the various institutions of any unregistered staff that may exist.
The latest decision was arrived at following a meeting by the Ministry of Employment and Labour Relations, Ministry of Finance, the CAGD and the leadership of organised labour representing public sector workers on CAGD payroll on Tuesday October 19, 2021.
Earlier, Controller and Accountant-General, Kwasi Kwaning Bosompem issued a dircetive not to pay workers on government of Ghana payroll without NIA numbers from December 1, 2021
According to Mr Bosompem, the Controller and Accountant-General’s Department (CAGD), is collaborating with NIA to have harmonized database to facilitate biometric and unique identification of all workers on government payroll.
The move, CAGD explained was “part of Government of Ghana’s efforts to deliver speedy, secured and verified payroll service to government employees and pensioners while reducing the risk of undeserving payment or claims.
The Controller and Accountant-General, Mr Kwaning Bosompem is collaborating with NIA to have harmonized database to facilitate biometric and unique identification of all workers on government payroll.
“By this notice all existing and prospective Government workers are to ensure they are registered with the NIA and obtained their identity numbers,” according to a notice issued by CAGD October 12, 2021 and signed by the acting Controller and Accountant-General, Kwasi Kwaning Bosompem.
By Vincent Kubi