President John Dramani Mahama has announced a salary increase for personnel of the Ghana Armed Forces, with the revised pay structure scheduled to take effect in March 2026.
He also disclosed that arrears for January and February 2026 would be paid alongside the new salaries in March.
The President made the announcement while addressing troops at the 2025 West African Soldiers’ Social Activity (WASA) at the Ghana Armed Forces Headquarters, Burma Camp, in Accra. The annual event brings together members of the security services to foster camaraderie and offer relief from their demanding duties.
The declaration was met with loud applause from service personnel.
“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,” President Mahama said.
“Thank you very much. I knew you would receive that with great joy.”
On retirement benefits, the President recalled that in 2020, the previous administration introduced Constitutional Instrument 129, which extended years of service and significantly increased retirement and gratuity payments for officers.
“It will interest you to know that over the four years following the year 2020, the previous administration made no budgetary allocation to operationalize the new gratuity levels,” he stated.
He explained that the failure to fund the policy resulted in arrears of more than one billion cedis owed to about 3,000 military personnel across various ranks.
President Mahama said he had instructed the Minister of Finance to release funds to settle outstanding arrears for the 1995 and 1996 year groups at existing rates, while arrangements were being made to fully clear their entitlements under C.I. 129.
He also announced plans to boost the internally generated funds of the Ghana Armed Forces by increasing their involvement in national infrastructure projects.
According to him, discussions are underway with the Ministries of Roads and Finance to enable the 48th Engineer Regiment and the Ghana Army to participate in the government’s Big Push Infrastructure Projects nationwide.
“We shall allocate some of the drip equipment that was imported under the last administration to the 48th Engineer Regiment so that you can also participate in road construction and earn money for the Armed Forces,” he said.
The President congratulated winners of the Chief of Defence Staff Prize essay competition and thanked organisers, sponsors and partners for contributing to the successful organisation of WASA 2025.
