Gambia Government Cuts Pay for Over 1,400 ‘Ghost Workers’ in Major Staff Audit
Nationwide Crackdown on Fraudulent Public Sector Payments
The Gambian government has terminated salary payments to more than 1,400 public servants who failed to verify their employment status during a comprehensive nationwide audit, officials announced this week.
Audit Uncovers Widespread Irregularities
According to government spokesperson Ebrima G. Sankareh, the staff verification exercise was conducted by the Ministry of Public Service, Administrative Reform, Policy Coordination and Delivery in partnership with the Personnel Management Office (PMO).
The initial phase targeted four key ministries:
- Basic and Secondary Education
- Health
- Agriculture
- Livestock and Food Security
This first audit revealed 1,424 employees who could not account for their presence or justify their continued employment.
Recovery Actions and Future Measures
Financial institutions have been instructed to recover improperly paid salaries, while the Public Service Commission (PSC) has received recommendations for immediate dismissal of affected workers under PSC Regulations No. 57.
A second audit phase in December 2024 expanded to the entire civil service, including security forces, identifying an additional 679 unverified employees. Their salaries will be suspended starting April 2025 pending valid explanations.
Authorities plan to publish a full list of affected individuals to facilitate salary recovery and potential termination proceedings.
Pension System Cleanup
Concurrently, the government reviewed pension records to remove deceased beneficiaries from the payroll. These anti-fraud measures are expected to save millions of dalasis in public funds.
The Ministry of Public Service emphasized its commitment to eliminating “ghost workers” and preventing fraudulent salary and pension payments through strengthened verification systems.