The Ghana Standards Authority (GSA) has dismissed allegations of pay disparities and irregular recruitment practices, describing claims circulating on social media as misleading and factually inaccurate.
In a statement issued by the Director General of the Ghana Standards Authority, Prof. George Agyei rejected suggestions of political favouritism in the recruitment and remuneration of staff, insisting that all employment decisions have been carried out in accordance with government policy and approvals from the Ministry of Finance.
According to the GSA, the officers described in the online publication as the “first cohort” were initially recruited under the defunct Nation Builders Corps (NABCO) programme.
After the programme ended, the Authority said the previous administration retained them on temporary contracts that were renewable annually, with their salaries paid from the Authority’s Goods and Services budget.
The Authority clarified that these officers were never placed on the Government of Ghana’s central payroll, were not gazetted, and did not receive parliamentary approval, contrary to claims made in the report.
The GSA further explained that after the current Director-General assumed office, approval was obtained from the Ministry of Finance to recruit 500 Trading Standards Inspectors in 2025 under a newly designed mandate.
It noted that these recruits were employed under the Single Spine Salary Structure, the government’s approved public sector salary framework.
However, the Authority stressed that this second cohort is also not on the central government payroll. Instead, their salaries are funded through the Authority’s Internally Generated Funds (IGF) under a remuneration structure specifically approved by the Ministry of Finance.
According to Management, while both groups are paid outside the central payroll system, the difference in remuneration arises from the approved salary structures governing each engagement and not from any political considerations.
The GSA also rejected claims that Parliament approved the names of the earlier NABCO-origin officers, describing such assertions as false. It explained that the recruitment, engagement and renewal of temporary staff are internal administrative and human resource matters that neither require nor have ever required parliamentary approval.
Addressing concerns over the treatment of staff from the earlier cohort, the Authority stated that scientific personnel whose expertise is essential to its laboratory operations have since been reassigned with improved conditions of service, reflecting Management’s recognition of their skills and contributions.
The Authority reaffirmed that recruitment, engagement and remuneration decisions are guided strictly by Ministry of Finance approvals, government pay policies and operational requirements rather than the political administration under which employees were initially engaged.
Management also encouraged affected staff to use the Authority’s established labour relations mechanisms to address any outstanding contractual concerns instead of resorting to the media.
The GSA said it remains committed to transparency, fairness and compliance with public sector employment regulations in the discharge of its mandate.
