The Office of the Auditor-General has publicly apologized following a significant mistake in its nationwide payroll audit report, which incorrectly associated a public servant with an unearned salary exceeding GH₵427 million.
This clarification comes after the nationwide payroll audit, which spans from January 1, 2023, to June 30, 2025, was prompted by a media report that named Frank Oliver Kpodo as having received GH₵427,995,661.40 in unearned salary.
The amount was initially brought to attention in a report by The Fourth Estate, which indicated that Mr. Kpodo had received an average of over GH¢14 million monthly in unearned payments.
In a statement released on Tuesday, April 21, 2026, the Auditor-General’s office clarified that the figure was the result of a transpositional error and was not associated with Mr. Kpodo.
“The GH₵427,995,661.40 pertains to the Ministry of Education concerning 3,476 unaccounted staff during the payroll audit,” the statement indicated.
The Auditor-General expressed regret to Mr. Kpodo, the government, the public, and the Controller and Accountant-General’s Department, recognizing the repercussions of the mistake.
“We extend our most sincere and unreserved apologies to Frank Oliver Kpodo for the distress and unwarranted public scrutiny this error may have caused.”
In the meantime, the Controller and Accountant-General’s Department (CAGD) has dismissed claims circulating on social media that a senior civil servant at the Ministry of Defence received unearned salaries amounting to GH¢427 million over 29 months, asserting that Ghana’s payroll system prevents such incidents.
“The Government of Ghana payroll system operates with controls and automations that permit only approved pay structures by the Fair Wages and Salaries Commission to be processed for employees who meet their conditions of service,” the department stated.
It further explained that salaries undergo several layers of validation, including approvals from heads of relevant entities and internal checks to avert irregularities and overpayments.
“Eligible employees on the Government of Ghana payroll receive their monthly salaries following an online validation process… Additionally, these monthly payments undergo internal quality checks to ensure the accuracy of each salary disbursement,” it stated.
