'Which other country in the world pays salaries to retirees?' - Prof H Prempeh fumes
Prof Henry Kwasi Prempeh, Chairman of the Constitutional Review Committee, criticised the practice of paying retired public officials salaries on March 17, 2026, on Facebook. He stated, "We must scrap the 'retirement on salary' compensation practices in our public sector. Do we know any other place in the world where this sort of thing happens as commonly as it does here? We are just ridiculous!"
Dr. Cassiel Ato Forson, the Minister of Finance, disclosed that Ghana spent 44 percent of its total tax revenue on public sector wages in 2025. The government generated GH¢183 billion in tax revenue. Statutory obligations consumed GH¢122.1 billion, leaving the government with GH¢61.9 billion to manage its expenditure. The public sector wage bill alone amounted to GH¢78.9 billion, resulting in a financing gap of about GH¢17 billion.
Dr. Forson stressed that the combined cost of wages, debt servicing, and statutory transfers now exceeds total tax revenue.
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Prof Henry Kwasi Prempeh has raised concerns about a specific compensation practice for retired public officials in Ghana. He questions the global prevalence of this practice - and its impact on the nation's finances.
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