When the National Service Scheme (NSS) was established in 1973, Ghana’s socioeconomic landscape was starkly different.
The country needed more manpower to rebuild and fill critical shortages in the public sector.
Fast forward, and the country is much different. Government is hiring more than ever, entrepreneurship is trending upwards, and the private sector is producing more businesses.
Yet, the scheme still exists, forcing graduates into mostly under-resourced public sector roles that do not align with their career paths. All of which is a waste of talent and time.
The service, once a tool for national development, has morphed into a bureaucratic obligation that no longer serves the needs of a modern, dynamic economy.
It’s time for drastic measures: the NSS should be abolished.
Out of Sync
Every year, thousands of graduates each year are posted arbitrarily to government agencies, district assemblies, and schools, often doing clerical work or sitting idle due to a lack of resources.
Last year alone, 122,275 graduates went through the NSS program.
It’s time to say the quiet part aloud: National Service is just a form of cheap labor.
Every NSS personnel is given a paltry allowance of 715 GHC for their daily bread. However, those allowances have faced delays due to government bureaucracy and logistics.
In January, it was reported that NSS personnel faced a four-month delay in their allowances.
In a country facing a harsh economic climate, not being able to afford transportation, rent, or even basic meals because of an inefficient institution is unfair.
By forcing graduates to go through National Service, many tend to miss out on job opportunities and entrepreneurial ventures simply because they are tied to a service they didn’t choose.
If a graduate secured a good position at a firm right after high school, they would have to forfeit that position because they have to fulfil their national service duty.
Internal Rot and Corruption
For far too long, the NSS has been noted to have a pattern of corruption at its premises.
The latest corruption allegations are startling.
On Friday, June 13th, 2025, Ghana’s Attorney General, Dominic Akuritinga Ayine, in a press conference, stated that high-ranking officials were alleged to have siphoned NSS allowances through “ghost names”—fake or non-existent personnel—between 2017 and 2023.
Mr Ayine stated that an amount of GH¢548,333,542.65 was reported to have been “stolen”.
This is the first time issues of ghost names at the NSS have been reported. In 2014, the National Investigations Bureau uncovered 22,612 ghost names at the NSS headquarters.
National Service Could Be Optional
If abolition is too harsh a solution, then maybe the better alternative would be to make National Service a choice.
The government could invest in scalable internship programs, entrepreneurship support, and voluntary service opportunities that align with individual career aspirations.
They could create tax incentives for companies to take on young graduates as trainees. In addition, digital platforms could be created that connect youth to real opportunities across sectors.
The whole “National Service” needs a rethinking of how we empower our young people to contribute meaningfully. Forcing them to go through the scheme is not the way to go.
If Ghana truly wants to unleash the potential of its youth, it’s time to end the National Service Scheme and provide them with the requisite skills and opportunities to allow them to flourish.
At the moment, the National Service Scheme is just holding them back.
