The recent remarks by Hon Abena Osei Asare, Chairperson of Ghana’s Public Accounts Committee, deserve both commendation and amplification.

Her candid acknowledgment of the resurgence in payroll fraud, which has reportedly increased by 300 percent in 2024 after a commendable reduction to GH¢14 million in 2023, is a sobering reminder that structural reform must accompany technical effort. Her call for decentralisation and sanctions is timely, necessary, and courageous.

As a researcher focused on equity, leadership, and governance in education, I view decentralisation not simply as an administrative adjustment but as a democratic safeguard.

When payroll systems are overly centralised, they become opaque, vulnerable to manipulation, and disconnected from the realities of local oversight. Ms Osei Asare’s assertion that “if everything is done at the centre... you would have some of these challenges” reflects a truth that extends beyond payroll. It applies to service delivery, resource allocation, and public trust.

Decentralisation, when thoughtfully implemented, strengthens accountability. It empowers regional and district actors to validate, monitor, and respond to anomalies in real time.

It also distributes responsibility, making it harder for systemic fraud to hide behind bureaucratic distance.

But decentralisation alone is not enough. As Ms Osei Asare rightly insists, there must be consequences.

Those who neglect their responsibilities must be held accountable, not only to enforce discipline but to restore confidence in the integrity of our institutions.

This moment presents an opportunity for collaboration across sectors. As someone engaged in comparative policy analysis and governance reform, I am eager to contribute to this conversation through research, stakeholder engagement, and strategic dialogue.

We must design systems that not only detect fraud but prevent it through shared responsibility and transparent processes.

I applaud Ms Osei Asare’s leadership. Her voice reminds us that reform is not just about numbers. It is about values. And values must be reflected in the way our institutions operate. Let us decentralise. Let us enforce accountability. But above all, let us act.

Michael Ampadu, Doctoral Researcher in Educational Leadership and Policy, University of Bristol