NSS personnel allowance to be increased very soon – NSS Director

The Executive Director of the National Service Scheme, Osei Assibey Antwi says plans are far advanced for the next batch of national service (NSS) personnel allowance to be increased from the current GH¢559 to a considerable amount.

Speaking in an interview monitored by AcademicWeek, the NSS Director citing the current economic crisis said the management of the National Service is in talks with the government to ensure the monthly allowance is increased.

“For the allowance increase, I am assuring them that plans are far ahead and as it was this current President who increase it to GH¢559, I am optimism that the same President is going to increase the number very soon,” he said.

In a separate interview, the Deputy Executive Director of the Ghana National Service Scheme (General Services), Gifty Oware-Aboagye indicated the central government has approved the increment of national service allowance.

“We are planning to increase the allowance of the service personnel in the coming year because NSS personnel are paid through the government coffers, so maybe in the next coming year we could increase the allowance,” Gifty said.

The NSS official added “They are paid monthly allowances determined by the Finance Ministry. Payment is calculated from the date the personnel reports for duty at his/her designated post. The allowance is paid throughout the service year.”

In a related development, the National Union of Ghana Students (NUGS) following the country’s worsening economic crisis has urged for national service allowance to be increased from the current GH¢559 to GH¢800 in the next academic year.

Citing the rising cost of transportation and general expenses of prospective national service personnel, the leadership of the Students Union in an engagement with President Nana Akufo-Addo called for an increase in the allowance.

“We also indicated the need to increase the national service allowance from GH¢559 to GH¢800, especially in the face of the rising cost of transportation and general expenses,” NUGS stated in a release copied to AcademicWeek.com.