The Head of the Local Government Service, Professor Lord Mensah, has announced a significant escalation in the fight against administrative corruption, revealing that National Security has been engaged to dismantle a syndicate involved in date-of-birth fraud.
Addressing staff of the Eastern Regional Coordinating Council in Koforidua, Prof. Mensah disclosed that several Human Resource (HR) officers have already been identified for allegedly conspiring to unlawfully alter official records to extend the service years of certain employees.
“It has come to the attention of management that some human resource managers connive with their officers to unlawfully alter date of birth in official records.
“We know the channels of changing these date of births are not only restricted to HR directors – it goes beyond the local government service; but we are cautioning our officers because we would trace it back to all the channels that are used for this activity”
Professor Lord Mensah, Head of the Local Government Service
According to Prof. Mensah, the involvement of National Security is intended to provide the forensic and investigative depth required to effectively trace these illegal channels back to their roots – stressing that the biological data manipulation is not a localized issue but a sophisticated network.
This move marks a decisive shift in the government’s efforts to sanitize the public payroll and ensure that retirement protocols are strictly followed.
Prof. Mensah was emphatic that the alteration of official documents constitutes a serious criminal offense under Ghanaian law. He warned that the era of treating such “administrative adjustments,” as minor infractions, is over.
The current investigation is expected to lead to the interdiction and potential prosecution of several high-ranking HR directors and managers who have used their positions to facilitate payroll fraud.
The Head of Service emphasized that this “clean-up” is essential for the sustainability of the Local Government Service. By allowing staff to remain in post beyond their mandatory retirement age through fraudulent means, the service is denied the opportunity to inject fresh talent and promote younger officers who are waiting to ascend the career ladder.
Operational Challenges
Beyond the criminal probe, Prof. Mensah addressed the persistent issue of workplace discipline, specifically targeting chronic lateness among civil servants. He described the lack of punctuality as a “clog in the wheel of progress,” and cautioned that staff who fail to improve their timekeeping would face immediate punitive transfers.
The Service, he noted, cannot achieve its development goals if the culture of discipline continues to erode at the regional and local levels.
However, the briefing also brought to light the difficult conditions under which many staff members operate. The Eastern Regional Coordinating Director, Ebenezer Amoah, presented a counter-narrative, highlighting a severe lack of logistical support that hampers effective service delivery.
From the non-availability of official vehicles to poor internet connectivity in regional offices, the Director argued that the “human factor,” is only one part of the productivity equation and appealed to the Head of the Service to address these challenges.
Prof. Mensah acknowledged these challenges and concluded by reiterating that for Ghana to achieve its aspirations of becoming a “true middle-income country,” the public service must be built on a foundation of honesty and efficiency.
The probe into date-of-birth fraud is seen as part of a broader national strategy to eliminate ghost names and fraudulent entries from the government payroll.
As the National Security investigation progresses, the Local Government Service is expected to roll out a more robust, digitized HR management system to prevent future tampering with staff records.
“The whole idea is to get the needed infrastructure and discipline to put Ghana at the level where it belongs. We will not allow a few individuals to compromise the entire system for personal gain. This year is going to be about accountability at every level of the service”
Professor Lord Mensah, Head of the Local Government Service
READ ALSO: Nadhim Zahawi Defects To Reform UK
