Accra: President John Dramani Mahama has announced a pay raise for members of the Ghana Armed Forces, effective March 2026. The arrears for the months of January and February will also be paid in March.
According to Ghana News Agency, the President made the announcements in his address at the 2025 West African Soldiers' Social Activity (WASA) at the Headquarters of the Ghana Armed Forces at Burma Camp in Accra. WASA is an annual event designed to offer members of the security forces a chance to interact and appreciate one another outside of their busy schedules. The announcement was met with enthusiastic applause from the military personnel present.
President Mahama stated, "I bring thee tidings of great joy, and it pleases me to announce that your new salary scales will start in March. I said tidings of great joy. You now understand what I mean. Your new salary scales will start in March, and the arrears for January and February will also be paid in March." He expressed confidence that the announcement would be well-received by the Armed Forces members.
The President revealed that in 2020, the previous administration introduced C.I.129, which increased the length of service and consequently led to significant increases in retirement and gratuity payments for retiring officers. However, he noted that no budgetary allocation was made in the subsequent four years to support the new gratuity levels, resulting in arrears exceeding one billion Ghana cedis owed to approximately 3,000 personnel.
President Mahama assured that he has directed the Minister of Finance to release funds for the 95-96 year groups to address their outstanding arrears at existing rates, while efforts are made to settle the arrears under C.I.129. Additionally, discussions are underway with the Chief of Defence Staff and relevant ministries to enable the Ghana Armed Forces to participate in the Government's Big Push Infrastructure Projects, thereby increasing internally generated funds.
The President also mentioned plans to allocate imported drip equipment to the 48th Engineer Regiment to facilitate their participation in road construction projects, providing an opportunity to earn revenue for the Armed Forces. He concluded by commending the winners of the Chief of Defence Staff Prize essay competition and expressing gratitude to the organizers, sponsors, and partners who contributed to the success of WASA 2025.