About GH¢4.2 million has been deducted from the allowances of national service personnel deployed to government institutions nationwide to fund a capacity-building programme that has since been suspended following concerns raised by beneficiaries.
According to the Director-General of the National Service Authority, Moses Doknach Kpeungu, a total of 99,508 national service personnel, including nurses, have been deployed across the country.
Of this number, nearly 29,000 were assigned to private sector institutions, leaving an estimated 70,508 personnel serving in government institutions. These personnel were affected by the deductions.
Each affected national service person had GH¢60 deducted from their May allowance. The National Service Personnel Association (NASPA) explained that the amount represented a GH¢15 monthly deduction over four months to finance the nationwide capacity-building programme.
Research calculations based on the estimated 70,508 personnel serving in government institutions indicate that the deductions amount to approximately GH¢4.2 million.
Despite the backlash, NASPA maintains that the initiative was intended to bridge the gap between graduation and employment by equipping young people with additional skills beyond their academic qualifications.
Speaking in an interview, NASPA President Abdul Wahab Bala Mohammed said the programme was first piloted in the Greater Accra Region in 2024.
“The response from the piloting stage was very massive and encouraging. So, we decided to upscale it nationwide. Hence, we took it to council, got the approval, went ahead to contract Zeus Atlas Limited to carry out the training.”
The training programme, which comprised five courses and was to be delivered nationwide by Zeus Atlas Limited, has since been suspended following a directive from the Ministry of Youth Development and Empowerment after concerns emerged over the deductions and the implementation of the initiative.
Some national service personnel have questioned the justification for the deductions, arguing that they have not participated in any of the training sessions and therefore should not have been required to contribute toward the programme.
One affected national service person said:
“We do not agree to the fact that we will not receive a refund. First of all, we are not beneficiaries. You don’t even inform us about the capacity building. Some of us are NSS people, but we are not children. Because of this delay, I had to use my profit and some of my capital to be coming to work, and to feed myself at work.”
The development has also sparked broader questions about consultation and representation. While the programme was designed to benefit national service personnel and was backed by the association representing them, some beneficiaries are questioning how such a policy was implemented without wider consensus, leading to resistance from those it was intended to serve.
Credit: NANA ACHIAA ABOAGYE