The National Service Personnel Association (NASPA) officially launched the 8th Terminal Congress at Cape Coast Thursday April 19, 2018.

The 2-day congress will see delegates from various regions come together to elect executives to man the association for the next service year.

The congress which was held under the theme, “Entrepreneurship and Capacity Building; A key to National Development” was chaired by the Krontihemaa of Oguaa Traditional Area, Nana Ama Ayeba II.

The Chairperson in her acceptance speech advised service personnel to exhibit devotion in their duties to serve the nation and also take advantage of opportunities available at their doorsteps to build their personal capacity regardless of one’s financial capacity.

She narrated the ordeal a young lady at her time had to pass through before making successful strides. She noted how virtues including self-dedication, confidence and determination had to come to play to build her personal capacity before she became a Queen Mother and how she still is taking advantage of available opportunities.

The Central Regional Minister, Hon. Kwamena Duncan who was the guest of honor also commended the Ag. Executive Director and his deputies for the wonderful management of the scheme.

He bemoaned the situation where personnel had to waste so much time at various centers during registration and commended the scheme for the new paperless system which will curb this problem and also enable personnel manage their time effectively.

The Ag. Deputy Executive Director in charge of Administration and Finance, Gifty Oware-Aboagye, touted the achievements of their administration led by the Ag. Executive Director, Hon. Mustapha Ussif, Ag. Deputy Executive Director in charge operations, Henry Nana Boakye and herself within a year in office.

She disclosed the sorrowful status of NASPA which couldn’t organize a Congress since 2014. She added, “The association was bankrupt in its activities and financials. We made conscious efforts to organize a Terminal Congress in Koforidua where the outgoing President was elected”.

She also mentioned the paperless system to check fraudulent acts and impersonation by unscrupulous people who find their way into the service's data.

She concluded by outlining projects such as the Rig Community Water Project which will help drill boreholes across the country for personnel posted to remote areas with no water, the Entrepreneurship Module which is a one-year free internship program for personnel who would like to take advantage of the entrepreneurial opportunities in the country and the scheme’s Capacity Building Workshop embarked on last year across the country to help prepare and equip personnel with the needed skills and attitude for Service.

Mr. Philip Quaye, who is the outgoing president of the association also was happy about the success attained under his leadership and threw the challenge to his successor to achieve more and prioritise the interest of personnel irrespective of the religious, ethnic or cultural backgrounds.