NSS allowance hasn't been increased since 2016 - Agbana pleads with Akufo-Addo to increase GH¢559 allowance

The Deputy National Youth Organiser of the National Democratic Congress, Edem Agbana, has urged President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo to as a matter of urgency increase the allowance given to personnel of the National Service Scheme (NSS). In a letter addressed to the president, which was sighted by GhanaWeb, Agbana said that the GH¢559 allowance has not been increased for the past 6 years despite the worsening economic conditions in the country. He added that the fact that the Akufo-Addo government has not increased the allowance since 2016 is very worrying because every government since the inception of the scheme has increased it to help improve the livelihood of the personnel. “Your excellency, there can be no doubt that the country is facing unprecedented economic challenges. This is evidenced by the rising inflationary pressures on basic food supplies, fuel and transport, the depreciation in the value of our local currency and the ripple effect these have on other vital sectors of the economy. “For the young people of this country, national service personnel, in particular, there seems to be no end in sight as they reel under the pangs of the economic hardship. A monthly allowance of about US$43, being the equivalent of GH¢559, is simply unsustainable as the value of the cedi plummets against the rising cost of living. “More than ever before, Mr. President, we must match the enthusiasm and hard work of our national service personnel with improved allowance packages to cushion them and enable them to navigate these hard economic times,” parts of the later read. Meanwhile, the Management of NSS has announced the release of the 2022/2023 National Service postings. A total of One hundred and fifteen thousand, two hundred and forty (115,240) prospective national service personnel enrolled to undertake their mandatory national service for the 2022/2023 service year. A statement issued by the NSS said: “The prospective service personnel include the year 2022 eligible Ghanaian graduates from accredited tertiary institutions in the country, defaulters who submitted their applications for postings, and private registrants.” The NSS urged prospective service personnel to log onto the scheme's website, “to check their placements.” Watch the latest episode of The Lowdown below: IB/DO