Every year, tens of thousands of Ghanaian graduates receive their postings: a school in a district capital, a hospital, a ministry, a bank. For the next year, they are national service personnel.
National service has been part of life for Ghanaian graduates since 1973.
Why it started
In the early 1970s, Ghana faced a serious loss of professionals, as doctors, teachers and other skilled workers left for better opportunities abroad. The government wanted to make sure newly trained graduates contributed to national development.
The National Service Scheme was established in 1973 by a military decree, NRCD 208, under the National Redemption Council.
The law
In 1980, Parliament passed the National Service Act, Act 426, giving the scheme a firm legal basis. It required citizens aged 18 and above, particularly graduates of tertiary institutions, to serve.
How it works
Graduates register and are posted to user agencies: schools, hospitals, government offices, district assemblies, private companies and non-governmental organisations. They receive a monthly allowance rather than a full salary.
Many are posted outside their home regions, which is meant to promote national unity and expose young people to other parts of the country.
Numbers
In recent years, the scheme has deployed about 70,000 service personnel a year, as the number of graduates has grown.
Benefits and complaints
Supporters say national service gives graduates work experience and helps understaffed institutions. Critics complain about low allowances, late payments and postings that do not match graduates’ skills.
Teachers and health workers
Many service personnel are posted to schools, where they teach subjects such as mathematics and science, and to hospitals and clinics. In rural areas, they often fill gaps that permanent staff have left.
A new name
The scheme is now known as the National Service Authority, following reforms to its structure.
Controversies
The scheme has faced scandals, including investigations into “ghost names” on its payroll, where allowances were allegedly paid to people who did not exist.
Registration
Graduates register online with details from their institutions, and postings are released in batches. Personnel must report to their user agencies and have their attendance confirmed each month before allowances are paid.
A rite of passage
For many Ghanaians, national service is their first job and their first time living far from home. Some stay in the towns where they served; others remember the year as the moment student life ended and working life began.
