No Ghana Card, no national service – NSA boss declares

Felix Gyamfi, the Acting Director General of the National Service Authority (NSA), has announced a new directive. Graduates must have a Ghana Card or accreditation from GTEC to undertake national service.

“If you don’t have a Ghana Card, you cannot do national service,” he said in an interview on Joy FM's GhanaConnect.

The Ghana Card is a key form of identification. It prevents individuals with questionable identities from entering the system.

Graduates from unaccredited schools should not participate in national service. “These are institutions of questionable character,” Gyamfi added.

This announcement is part of reforms aimed at improving the national service scheme. The goal is to eliminate ghost names from the NSA’s payroll.

Mr. Gyamfi noted that many systems existed but were poorly enforced due to “poor leadership and a lack of will.”

New measures include mandatory biometric validation. All service personnel must report to NSA offices monthly for verification before salaries are processed.

This ensures only those genuinely present receive payment.

Other initiatives focus on strict age and registration compliance. Anyone over the age limit or who skips registration will be disqualified automatically.

Additionally, live verification protocols will be implemented. Personnel will not be added to the payroll without physical verification by NSA officers.