The President, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, yesterday launched the National Service Authority (NSA) to mark a new dawn of the organisation, 50 years after its establishment.

Among other things, the transition of the then National Service Scheme to an authority, would enhance the quality of youth service across the country.

In July this year, Parliament passed the NSA Bill to mobilise and post qualified persons to undertake national service in areas of national priority for development.

Launching the NSA in Accra, President Akufo-Addo said it was imperative that the authority aligned its visions and strategies with relevant institutions to maximise its impact.

To that end, he said a strategic decision would be made as to the relevant supervising ministry in accordance with the new NSA Act. 

Concept

He said beyond fostering national cohesion, the NSA was contributing significantly to the building of infrastructure, whether in health, education, agriculture, or local governance. 

"Each year, some 150,000 graduates are deployed, with some 50,000 serving in the education sector alone. 

"This remarkable contribution not only supports the achievement of our national development goals, but also saves the country some GH¢3 billion annually in wage costs," he said.

Nana Akufo-Addo said the establishment of the NSA under the new Act marked a bold step forward, and that this transformation of the scheme into an authority equipped it to take on an even more expansive role in nation building. The move, he said, ensured that the authority would not only mobilise and deploy service personnel but would also equip them with employable skills, positioning them for greater success in their post-service lives.

"As we look to the future, I have every confidence that the next administration, led by my Vice- President, and the New Patriotic Party's excellent presidential candidate, Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, would build on this foundation, ensuring that the NSA continued to be a driving force for the development of our youth, and the nation at large. 

Progress 

"The ongoing progress of our nation depends on the skills, creativity and innovative potential of our young people," he said.

The Chairman of the NSA Board, Nee Odoi Tetteyfio, said the journey that aimed at the transformation of the then National Service Scheme into an authority was not an easy one.

Challenges 

He said there were lots of challenges, including operational deficiencies, procedural weaknesses, resource constraints, institutional capacity, and collaborative limitations, adding that instead of demotivating management, it rather triggered an immense interest and motivated leadership to explore new avenues that would ensure that the then scheme was rejuvenated, better positioned to deliver on its mandate by supporting serving prospective national service personnel to derive maximum benefits from the scheme.

“Several memoranda were developed, a series of stakeholder forums were organised, high-level consultations were held, significant internal processes were reviewed, and many other interventions required to ensure that the journey from a scheme to an authority was devoid of any roughness,” he said. 

Infrastructure 

The Minister of Education, Dr Yaw Osei Adutwum, took the opportunity to show video clips of the new developments that were going on in the education sector with the construction of new infrastructure, provision of facilities and equipment.

In his evidence-based presentation, he said the government was doing a lot to transform the sector.

The Director- General of the NSA, Osei Assibey Antwi, for his part , said NSA, now operating under an expanded mandate, was poised to effectively mobilise, deploy and train service personnel with strong emphasis on employability and professional development. 

“This enhanced framework empowers the authority not only to provide the vital manpower to the public and the private institutions across the country, but also to focus on equipping these young professionals with the practical skills and knowledge needed to drive in a competitive job market,” he said. 

The Executive Chairman of McDan Group, Daniel McKorley, who chaired the event, expressed the belief that the next generation of leaders would see the light of entrepreneurship through the NSA.