# National Service Secretariat (Ghana)

Ghanaian students who graduate from accredited tertiary institutions are required under the constitution to do a one-year national service to the country. The National Service Secretariat (NSS) is the Government of Ghana agency mandated to formulate policies and structures for national service.

## Structure of the NSS

The organogram of the service has a Board of Directors. The Board supervises activities of the executive director and two Deputy Executive Directors. One deputy is the Head of Finance and Administration and the other is in charge of the service's operations. The executive director and the Deputies supervise the activities of the Heads of various Departments. At the regional level, the service is headed by the Regional Director who in turn supervises the work of the various district directors. The service has Regional Heads in all the regional capitals of the country. The service has a staff strength of 342.

## Terms of service

All graduates from Ghanaian tertiary institutions must complete a one-year mandatory national service. Every year several ten of thousands of graduates are posted to various sectors as service personnel. In 2009 - 2010 service year, about 67,000 graduates were posted. In the 2010 - 2011 service year, 50,069 personnel were posted. The service is done irrespective of type of sponsorship the individual may have received or the country in which the tertiary course was pursued in. The personnel upon posting to an establishment is subject to the rules and regulations that govern it. In a case where the establishment's rules conflict with that of the NSS, the latter's is used. Again, graduates who are sponsored by certain institutions to offer tertiary programmes return to those institutions for their national service.

### Allowance

Service personnel are paid monthly allowances. The amount paid is determined by the Ministry of Finance. The allowance that is approved is what the ministry would pay the personnel throughout the service year. Payment is calculated from the date the service personnel reports for duty at his/her designated post.

### Annual leave

All personnel are entitled to a one month's annual terminal leave for the year that spans their service. The month leave is usually given in August to all personnel.

### National Service Certificate

After completion of the mandatory one-year national service, The National Service Secretariat issues a National Cervice certificate to all Personnel.

## Rules and Regulations

The NSS is guided under the following rules and regulations
1. DURATION AND COVERAGE
a. The duration of national service shall be one year for ALL Ghanaian graduates who complete approved tertiary courses. This is regardless of the type of sponsorship of courses, and whether or not such courses were pursued in Ghana.
b. Personnel who did the one-year non-graduate service shall be required to undertake one year post-tertiary national service.
c. The National Service Board shall announce the date for the commencement of national service by all fresh entrants. National service usually commences in the month of September.
d. The Board reserves the right to review the period of service.
2. TERMS AND CONDITIONS
a. The National Service Secretariat is the authority on national service appointments. Heads of User-Agencies should, therefore deal only with personnel who have valid appointment letters issued by the Secretariat.
b. National Service Personnel are subject to all rules and regulations governing the establishment to which they have been posted. However, where such rules and regulations conflict with those of the National Service Scheme, the rules and regulations of the Scheme shall take precedence over those of the establishment.
c. With the exception of study leave graduates/diplomates, all service personnel shall be paid a consolidated non-taxable monthly allowance approved by the Ministry of Finance, which shall be stated on the appointment letter.
d. Study leave graduates and diplomates shall, having passed through the appropriate channels of the Scheme, return to their mother organisations, earn their promotions, if any, and be placed on the minimum level of the new grade. However, there shall be a freeze on their increment and promotions thereafter until they successfully complete their service.

### Ghost Names Scandal

In February 2025, the government of Ghana uncovered 81,885 suspected ghost names on the National Service Scheme (NSS) payroll, costing the state an estimated GHȼ50 million per month. Investigations revealed that only 98,145 service personnel were actively working, while 180,030 names had been submitted for allowance payments in 2024.
Former Deputy Executive Director Gifty Oware-Mensah, who oversaw administration and finance, is expected to provide information on the alleged irregularities. In March 2025, she returned to Ghana but was not arrested as planned by the National Investigations Bureau (NIB) and is set to appear before authorities with her legal representatives.