Close to 100,000 personnel have been deployed to both public and private sector institutions by the National Service Authority (NSA) for the 2026/2027 national service year.

The Deputy Director-General of the Authority, Moses Dok Nach Kpeungu, made this public on Monday, April 20, while addressing the media.

He said, "If you look at the Authority at the moment, we deployed almost 10,000. The current figure stands at about 99,508, and that includes the recently posted nurses".

In a related development, Chief Executive Officer of the National Service Authority, Ruth Dela Seddoh, has revealed plans to roll out a nationwide military orientation programme for National Service personnel by July 2026.

The announcement was made at a ceremony hosted by TDC Ghana Ltd to graduate National Service personnel who had completed a two-week intensive military boot camp at the 1BN, Michel Camp.

She explained that the programme seeks to promote discipline, build patriotism, and enhance the physical fitness of young graduates."I am happy to announce that management and board of the national service authority are putting things together, to get the program started on a national scale latest by July 2026," Madam Ruth Dela Seddoh indicated.

She further noted that the military orientation for NSPs forms part of a newly introduced model by the National Service Authority designed to promote discipline and nationalism among service personnel.

The orientation programme is intended to build discipline, encourage national pride, improve physical fitness, develop leadership abilities, enhance time management, and equip personnel with essential emergency response skills.

She also praised the Managing Director of TDC Ghana Ltd, Courage Makafui Nunekpeku, along with his management team for the initiative, urging other institutions to adopt similar approaches.

In total, 40 personnel completed the programme, made up of 22 males and 18 females. Sharing a word at the ceremony, Mr Nunekpeku encouraged the graduates to make meaningful contributions, urging them to stand out through their leadership and impact.

The late Minister of Defence, Edward Omane Boamah, clarified that the National Service Emergency Response Readiness Programme, which was scheduled to begin within weeks, would be optional rather than mandatory.

“10,000 national service volunteers were expected to kick-start this initiative with plans to increase the numbers substantially next year. They’re volunteers. It is not compulsory,” the minister said.

Speaking to the media on July 21 as part of the government’s accountability series, he explained that the basic military and emergency response training formed a six-week orientation programme, which was planned to run in two batches from August to October that year.

The training areas were outlined to include basic military orientation, first aid, basic life support, disaster or fire management, nationalism and patriotism, loyalty and discipline, leadership, mentorship, and physical training, among others.

The programme, which was under discussion between the National Service Authority (NSA) and the Military High Command at the time, was aimed at equipping service personnel with foundational military drills and instilling a sense of national duty.

At a high-level meeting held on April 23, the Director-General of the NSA, Felix Gyamfi, described the initiative as crucial for nurturing patriotism and resilience among the youth.

“The introduction of this military training is a step in the right direction and must be embraced by all and sundry as one of the indicators for resetting the country, particularly the youth,” Gyamfi noted.

He further confirmed that all National Service Personnel (NSPs) were expected to undergo basic military drills and orientation during their service, describing the programme as a key element of national development and identity building.

Representing the Ghana Armed Forces, Brigadier General Amoah-Boakye affirmed the military’s full commitment to the initiative and assured the NSA of its readiness to support and implement the training upon its rollout.

The initiative reflected the vision of President John Dramani Mahama, who had outlined the programme during his maiden State of the Nation Address to Parliament on February 27, 2025. It formed part of a broader agenda to instill discipline, national pride, and physical preparedness among graduates.

"To achieve a legally robust regime to govern National Service, I have also tasked the Minister for Youth Development and Empowerment to coordinate and present to Parliament a Legislative Instrument (L.I.) to support the implementation of the newly passed National Service Authority Act 2024 (Act 1119)," President Mahama stated.

Ghana was noted to have joined countries such as Sweden, Denmark, Norway, and China, which had incorporated some form of military training into their national service systems. These models ranged from mandatory conscription in places like Russia to more limited or symbolic forms of service, as seen in the United States.

The NSERRP initiative was expected to provide practical survival and leadership skills to service personnel while fostering a stronger sense of duty and discipline among the country’s youth.

Further legal and operational frameworks were to be detailed in the forthcoming Legislative Instrument. Separately, the National Service Authority (NSA) announced the release of PIN codes for 132,393 prospective national service personnel ahead of the 2025/2026 service year.

This was contained in a press release issued by the Authority on June 17, which indicated that the intake had declined by an average of 26% compared to the previous three years, including a 36% drop recorded in the 2022/2023 period.

The NSA disclosed that it had received 135,990 submissions from 122 tertiary institutions, out of which 3,597 were pending verification due to accreditation issues.

"This figure is part of a total of 135,990 final-year Ghanaian students submitted by 122 tertiary institutions across the country. However, 3,597 of these submissions, representing graduates from 22 institutions, had not been processed, as those institutions were not accredited and remained unknown to the Ghana Tertiary Education Commission (GTEC)," the statement added.

Affected institutions were given a 30-day period to resolve their accreditation challenges with GTEC, while 908 PIN codes for private applicants remained pending final verification.

Prospective service personnel were required to activate their PIN codes by paying GHS 40 at any ADB Bank Ltd branch or GHS 41 via MTN Mobile Money before proceeding with registration on the NSA portal.

As part of efforts to enhance transparency, the NSA introduced new enrolment features, including mandatory facial biometric verification linked to Ghana Card data and the submission of verified Ghana Post GPS addresses to aid in postings.

The National Service Authority, established in 1973 under the Ministry of Education, remained mandated to deploy skilled manpower from tertiary institutions to support national development in both the public and private sectors.

Meanwhile, the Presidency Communications Office had announced the rollout of the Government Accountability Series, which began on July 14. The initiative was designed to promote transparency, with sector ministers providing updates on their performance three times a week.

The series was inaugurated by the Minister for the Interior, Muntaka Mohammed-Mubarak, who also served as the Minister responsible for National Security.

The initiative fulfilled President Mahama’s commitment to accountability during his second term, having earlier directed his appointees to remain answerable to the Ghanaian public.