Mandate Of The National Service Scheme

The National Service Scheme (NSS) was established in 1973 by National Redemption Council (NRC) Decre 208 and later revised as the National Service Act,(Act 426), 1980 as a Government of Ghana program under the Ministry of Education of Ghana.

It has a National Secretariat in Accra, and offices in all administrative regions and districts across the country.

The scheme is mandated to deploy a pool of skilled manpower drawn primarily from tertiary institutions to support the development efforts of both the public and private sectors in Ghana. Although it is a citizenry requirement for all Ghanaians who are eighteen years above, it is currently limited to, and mandatory for all Ghanaians graduating from tertiary educational institutions who are not less than eighteen years old.

The original intent of deploying freshly graduating youth under the NSS arrangement is to ensure that priority sectors of our national life are never lacking in the requisite human resources needed for development.

Mandate of the scheme

The Scheme as currently constituted provides newly qualified graduates with the opportunity to have practical exposure on the job, both in the public and private sectors, as part of their civic responsibility to the State. It also provides user agencies with the opportunity to satisfy their manpower needs and affords communities that would otherwise have difficulty in accessing mainstream development initiatives and access to improved social services through community service.

Core Objectives

1. Encourage the spirit of national service among ALL segments of Ghanaian society in the effort of nation -building through active participation.

2. Undertake projects designed to combat hunger, illiteracy, disease and unemployment in Ghana.

3. Help provide essential services and amenities, particularly in towns and villages of the rural areas of Ghana.

4. Develop skilled manpower through practical training.

5. Promote national unity and strengthen the bonds of common citizenship among Ghanaians.

Curled from: www.nss.gov.gh