Gambia cracks down on 'ghost workers', halts salaries of over 3,000 civil servants

The Personnel Management Office (PMO) has launched an extensive staff audit aimed at eradicating the persistent issue of “ghost workers” from the government payroll.

This audit, which focused on the key Ministries of Basic and Secondary Education, Health, and Agriculture, has brought to light the alarming presence of absentee workers within the civil service.

The audit revealed that over 3,000 civil servants were untraceable during visits to schools, health facilities, and agricultural offices across the country.

A comprehensive list of these “unseen staff” was compiled and distributed to the respective Ministries for further scrutiny. In cases where some explanations were received regarding employees’ whereabouts, their status was verified, ensuring they were indeed present. However, for those who remained unaccounted for, a stern warning was issued: “If no further reactions were received on behalf of their staff in question, they would have their salaries stopped for the month of September.”

Consequently, the salaries of 3,024 civil servants were suspended in September. To regain their salaries, affected employees must provide verifiable proof of their active status, such as “attestation from their heads of institution, proof of attendance, maternity leave, sick leave, etc.”

The PMO highlighted that “it is not uncommon to hear civil servants say they were sick and were undergoing some traditional treatments or to find them enrolling themselves in educational institutions without adhering to due process of obtaining study leave.”

As of October 9, 2024, only 882 individuals have been verified and reinstated, leaving a staggering 2,142 civil servants yet to justify their absence. The PMO has announced plans to extend this rigorous exercise to encompass the entire Civil Service, including the Security Forces and pensioners, to ensure integrity and accountability within the system.

In a bid to modernize and tighten control, the Ministry of Public Service is pioneering digitization strategies, including the installation of biometric time attendance machines linked directly to the payroll. This innovative measure will automatically halt a civil servant’s salary if there is no clock-in record for more than a month, barring any legitimate explanations.

Civil servants are strongly urged to adhere to established procedures when absent due to health issues, maternity, further education, or resignation, in compliance with the General Orders and PSC Regulations.