The National Democratic Congress government has announced sweeping changes at the National Service Authority (NSA) following months of controversy ove
The National Democratic Congress government has announced sweeping changes at the National Service Authority (NSA) following months of controversy over the Authority’s handling of the ghost names scandal.
On Monday, September 8, 2025, Felix Gyamfi, Director-General of the NSA, was removed from his position and reassigned to the Ministry of Finance.
In his place, President John Mahama has appointed Ruth Dela Seddoh as the new Director-General, effective immediately.
Fallout from Ghost Names Scandal
The shake-up comes against the backdrop of a damaging corruption scandal that has rocked the NSA since early 2025.
An investigative exposé by The Fourth Estate revealed how inflated personnel list and manipulated postings had allowed hundreds of millions of cedis to be siphoned from the scheme.
The Office of the Attorney-General later confirmed that more than GH¢548 million was lost to the ghost names racket, implicating NSA officials and private vendors.
The scandal centered on the CMSP/Metric App, a digital platform developed by Inpath Technologies Ltd.
While the system was originally introduced under the previous Director-General, Osei Assibey Antwi, to streamline postings and payroll, it became the subject of litigation after evidence showed it was used to facilitate fraudulent payments.
Minister vs. Director-General
The conflict that ultimately led to Gyamfi’s removal erupted in August 2025 between him and the Minister for Youth Development and Empowerment, George Opare Addo.
The Minister, acting on President Mahama’s directive, ordered the immediate termination of all contracts with Inpath Technologies, citing recent audit findings that questioned the app’s integrity.
Opare Addo instructed that government property be retrieved from the vendor and that a new fraud-proof platform be developed within 15 days.
He emphasized that the Presidency had demanded a fresh start to restore transparency and accountability at the Authority.
However, Felix Gyamfi resisted the order, arguing in a written response dated August 27, 2025, that the CMSP/Metric App was “fit for purpose.”
He maintained that the app had actually helped the state save an estimated GH¢460 million in 2025 alone by detecting irregularities.
According to him, the problem lay not with the app but with individuals who manually bypassed its controls.
Felix Gyamfi further warned that abandoning the platform would incur significant costs, noting that Inpath Technologies had offered to hand over the system to government for $2 million — a figure he claimed was far less than the cost of building a new one from scratch.
Government Moves For Fresh Leadership
Despite Felix Gyamfi’s defence, the Presidency has opted for a change of direction.
By moving Gyamfi to the Ministry of Finance and appointing Ruth Dela Seddoh as the new Director-General.
Seddoh, who is expected to assume office immediately, faces the enormous task of restoring public trust in the scheme and ensuring that the recruitment and deployment of service personnel are free from manipulation. Her appointment is also seen as a signal of the administration’s determination to clamp down on systemic fraud.
A System Under Scrutiny
The NSA remains under intense public and political scrutiny. With the ghost names scandal still fresh in the minds of many Ghanaians, questions linger about whether the Authority can rebuild confidence.
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