Gov’t to Block Salaries of Public Sector Workers With Invalid National ID Card Details From Sept

By: Edward Sebbie Graham 

The Controller and Accountant-General’s Department (CAGD) will suspend the salaries of public sector workers whose Ghana Card details have not been validated on the national payroll system, effective September 15, 2026.

The directive is part of preparations for a nationwide staff re-verification and payroll sanitization exercise.

In a circular dated August 24, 2026 [Circular No. 305/26], the Department directed all Human Resource Directorates of Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) to ensure that valid National Identification Authority (NIA) numbers of all employees are accurately captured on the Government of Ghana payroll.

According to the CAGD, the rollout of the enhanced Employee E-Payslip platform uncovered significant anomalies. A number of employees are unable to access their payslips because their NIA numbers on the payroll do not match official records at the NIA, while others have no NIA records captured at all.

“Employees who do not have valid NIA details on the payroll system will have their salaries suspended with effect from 15th September, 2026,” Controller and Accountant-General Kwasi Agyei warned in a separate notice.

The CAGD has instructed HR officers to monitor their official corporate email accounts for the list of staff flagged as “No NIA” and take immediate corrective action.

For each affected employee, HR is required to; correct or insert the valid NIA number on the payroll system, and submit the employee’s application for correction/insertion together with a cover letter from the head of the institution authorizing the change.

All documentation must be forwarded to the CAGD for authentication and validation before the deadline.

The Department clarified that under Regulation 9 of the National Identity Register (Amended) Regulations, 2026 (L.I. 2523), the physical submission and inspection of hard copies of the Ghana Card is no longer required. Employees only need to ensure their NIA numbers and related identity credentials are accurately embedded in the payroll system through their HR heads.

The CAGD has urged all employees and public institutions to comply strictly before September 15 to avoid disruption in salary payments.