Officials from the Controller and Accountant General’s Department (CAGD) held a sensitization meeting on October 1, 2020 with staff unions of University of Health and Allied Sciences (UHAS) on the upcoming migration of the University’s payroll to the Ghana Government Mechanised Payroll system, which is managed by CAGD.

UHAS is one of eight public universities CAGD is in the process of migrating onto the Government of Ghana Mechanised Payroll system. The other universities include University of Ghana (UG); University of Education, Winneba (UEW); University of Cape Coast (UCC); and University of Mines and Technology (UMaT). The rest are University of Energy and Natural Resources (UENR), Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), and University of Development Studies (UDS).

In opening remarks, the University’s Director of Human Resource, Mr. David Adzovie, expressed the hope that upon implementation, the migration of the University’s payroll would not be to the disadvantage of staff, considering the numerous concerns already under discussion between staff of UHAS and CAGD. He urged all participants, therefore, to bring out all relevant issues for consideration regarding the proposed migration.

In a speech read of his behalf, the Acting Controller and Accountant-General, Mr. Kwasi Kwaning-Bosompem, stated that the successful migration of all public universities would help in economic planning.

During his presentation, Coordinator of Migration at CAGD, Mr. Yaw Gbedegah, assured the audience that the Department would set up a Personnel Processing Section (PPS) at each university, where inputs would be made for processing of salaries and other requirements to ensure smooth implementation of the migration.

Leaders and members of the University Teachers Association of Ghana (UTAG), Ghana Association of University Administrators (GAUA), Federation of University Senior Staff Association (FUSSAG), Teachers and Educational Workers Union (TEWU), including HR and ICT officials responsible for the current payroll system, were taken through the various processes and issues regarding the processing of pay at CAGD.

Mr. Hardy Imoro Adam, a representative of Vice Chancellors Ghana, was also present at the meeting.

Those present expressed several concerns about the new system, most indicating that they would even prefer the current arrangement to the proposed migration.

Director of Payroll at the Controller and Accountant General’s Department, Mrs. Angela Peasah, assured the UHAS staff that her team would forward all their concerns as feedback to the appropriate quarters for consideration and redress.

The CAGD team, earlier that day, had met Management of the University prior to meeting with the unions.