Ghana’s National Service Scheme (NSS) has barred 3,597 graduates from 22 unaccredited tertiary institutions from national service deployment, demanding schools regularize their status with the Ghana Tertiary Education Commission (GTEC) within 30 days.
The move forms part of sweeping reforms that have already saved government approximately 600 million cedis by eliminating inflated submissions, reducing this year’s service personnel from 176,000 to 132,000.
NSS Director-General Felix Gyamfi announced the crackdown during a Kumasi orientation event, emphasizing the scheme’s new focus on accountability and skills development. “We’re protecting public funds while creating meaningful opportunities,” he stated, revealing plans to deploy personnel to unconventional sectors like Abossey Okai’s auto parts businesses and Suame Magazine’s engineering workshops to boost SME growth.
In a significant policy shift, 10,000 service personnel will undergo mandatory military training focused on discipline and emergency response. The NSS is urging graduates to embrace these reforms, which aim to transform national service into a more strategic workforce development program.
The accreditation enforcement follows growing concerns about diploma mills exploiting the national service system. Affected institutions must now provide GTEC certification or see their graduates excluded from the 2025/2026 service year entirely.
