An eight-member reconstituted Governing Board of the Ghana National Service Scheme (GNSS) has been inaugurated in Accra.

This is in accordance with Section 10 (1) of the Ghana National Service Scheme Act, 1980, Act 426. The four-year tenure of office of the previous Board expired on the 6 January 2017, in accordance with Section 12 (1) of the Act.

Inaugurating the Board, the Minister of Education, Dr. Matthew Opoku Prempeh, said the challenges that Ghana currently faces demand a proactive, dynamic and active national service.

According to the Minister, the National Service Scheme symbolises national cohesion, unity, patriotism and self-sacrifice. “These are the qualities needed as a nation in order to be able to translate our national objectives into reality. It is therefore unacceptable for national service personnel to refuse to accept postings to rural areas where their services are most needed,” he stated.

The Minister, therefore, urged members of the Board to be very innovative and to suggest ways and means by which the Scheme could be improved. In particular, he charged the Board to concentrate on staff training, development and motivation; restructuring and rebranding of the Scheme; making the Scheme a resource and learning centre for further youth development beyond the education acquired from school.

He also urged the Board to ensure the urgent review of their governing legislation, (Act 426 of 1980), which is to enrich the functions, mission, vision, objectives and goals of the Scheme, getting the Scheme to be self-financing and aggressively embarking on revenue generation activities and services, getting the Scheme to aggressively pursue its agricultural projects agenda it embarked upon some time ago, and evolving policies and strategies that will instill the right moral, ethical and cultural values and attitudes in national service personnel.

The Minister further urged members of the Board to consider their appointment as a national calling which demands commitment, dedication and exemplary devotion to duty.

The new NSS Board has Professor Kofi Osei Akuoko as its Chairman. Other members are Ussif Mustapha (Executive Director of the Scheme), Dr. Jemima Nunoo (Nee Agyare), Mr. Godfred Kwame Fosu Agyen, and Dr. Kingsely Nyarko. The rest are Mr. Dominic Kwesi Eduah, Dr. Alhassan Sulemana Anamzoya, and Nana Bediako Kyeremeh Ken.

The Ghana National Service Scheme was established in 1973 with the aims to prepare young Ghanaian men and women for the challenges that lie ahead and to make them self-reliant; and to serve as a national training authority, regularly training the youth to suit the development needs of the time, and also induce employers to employ service personnel after national service by creating the opportunity and link with industry