A prosecution witness in the ongoing trial of former National Service Authority (NSA) Deputy Executive Director Gifty Oware-Mensah has revealed that 63,673 alleged ghost names received monthly allowances despite performing no national service work.
Detective Sergeant Collins Woode, the fourth prosecution witness (PW4), made the revelation while testifying before the Accra High Court on Wednesday, November 11, 2026.
According to the investigator, an examination of the NSA’s Central Management System (CMS) uncovered 63,673 faceless names that had received monthly allowances even though they appeared on the system’s banned list.
He explained that the investigation also uncovered payments made to various companies through the system, although the platform was primarily intended to facilitate allowance payments to national service personnel.
How the NSA Ghost Names Were Identified
Testifying in court, Sergeant Woode explained that prospective national service personnel were required to register on the Central Management System by submitting their dates of birth, national identification cards and photographs.
The registration process was followed by biometric verification at the regional level.
He said the system automatically flagged applicants whenever discrepancies were detected between their photographs and dates of birth. Such individuals were subsequently placed on a banned list retained in the database.
Personnel who successfully completed registration and verification were required to download their acceptance letters, obtain endorsements from their respective user agencies and return to the regional offices to receive access codes for the system.
They were also expected to undergo monthly evaluations to qualify for their national service allowances.
However, Sergeant Woode told the court that an investigation into the database revealed thousands of questionable beneficiaries who allegedly received payments without performing any work.
He stated that the analysis identified 63,673 faceless names that had received allowances despite being listed as banned individuals.
Marine Ventures, Brainwaves and ADB Hire Purchase Identified
The prosecution witness further disclosed that investigators discovered several companies receiving payments through the NSA’s Central Management System.
Among the companies identified were Marine Ventures, Brainwaves Enterprise and ADB Hire Purchase.
He explained that investigations involving the Agricultural Development Bank (ADB), including discussions with its Head of Consumer Banking, Serbeh Yeboah, established that ADB Hire Purchase was not the actual vendor involved in the transaction.
Instead, a company known as Blocks of Life Consult, which was reportedly introduced to the bank by Gifty Oware-Mensah, was identified as the actual vendor.
According to the witness, Blocks of Life Consult was presented to ADB as a company in good standing with the NSA and seeking financing to purchase items for distribution to approximately 10,000 national service personnel.
The proposed loan repayment arrangement involved deductions directly from the monthly allowances of the beneficiaries.
Sergeant Woode said an e-zwich account was subsequently established for ADB to facilitate the recovery of the loans using lists of national service personnel submitted to the bank by the accused person.
This arrangement, he explained, accounted for why ADB Hire Purchase appeared on the NSA’s Central Management System instead of Blocks of Life Consult.
7,324 Names Linked to Alleged Ghost Names
The investigator further told the court that ADB provided investigators with a list containing 9,934 names submitted by the accused person in connection with the loan facility and repayment arrangements covering the 2022/2023 and 2023/2024 national service periods.
Investigators reportedly compared the names against the 63,673 alleged ghost beneficiaries identified in the NSA database.
Using a numerical comparison system involving ones and zeros, the team discovered that 7,324 names on the ADB list also appeared on the alleged ghost names list.
The remaining 2,610 names were not found on the list of 63,673 individuals.
To illustrate the alleged irregularities, Sergeant Woode mentioned the name James Waja, which appeared on records submitted for both national service periods.
He said the individual’s 2023/2024 record did not contain a posting location or an allowance amount.
GH¢650 Monthly Deductions From Service Allowances
The witness also presented details of the loan repayment arrangement, indicating that a total of GH¢7,150 was scheduled to be deducted over 11 months.
This translated into monthly deductions of GH¢650 from the affected personnel.
He further explained that investigations showed that the difference between the GH¢715 allowance figure and the GH¢650 monthly loan deduction was allocated to Marine Ventures.
Marine Ventures, according to the witness, had a contract with the National Service Authority to supply clothing to national service personnel.
Gifty Oware-Mensah Faces GH¢38 Million Financial Loss Charges
Gifty Oware-Mensah is standing trial over allegations involving more than GH¢38 million in financial losses to the state.
She faces charges including stealing, willfully causing financial loss to the state, using public office for profit and money laundering.
The prosecution is seeking to establish the alleged financial irregularities surrounding the National Service Authority’s allowance payment system and transactions involving private companies.
The case has drawn considerable public attention because of the allegations of ghost names, questionable allowance payments and the use of public funds during the national service programme.
Cross-examination of Detective Sergeant Collins Woode was adjourned to Thursday, November 12, 2026, when proceedings are expected to continue.
Source: newsthemegh.com