The Ghana National Service Authority (NSA) has assured service personnel that their outstanding allowances from August to December will be disbursed beginning today, Thursday, February 13.

Acting Director of the NSA, Felix Gyamfi, attributed the swift resolution to President John Mahama’s commitment to alleviating the financial difficulties of service personnel.

Speaking on Joy FM’s PM Express on Wednesday, February 12, Gyamfi acknowledged the persistent challenge of delayed payments and emphasized the government’s dedication to prioritizing the welfare of personnel.

"We should be grateful to President John Mahama. Even before he became president, he had his press worry about the delay in payment of service personnel, especially so when the service allowance is a meagre GH¢715, considering that we have serious inflation issues around us," he noted.

He further explained that once the financial details were presented to the President, an immediate directive was issued to settle all outstanding arrears.

"So from tomorrow [February 13], service personnel will start receiving all arrears due them from August, September, October, November, and December," he confirmed.

Gyamfi attributed the recurring delays in payments to years of financial mismanagement and corruption, which he believes significantly weakened the scheme’s financial standing.

"Why has it become so? I think in the last eight years, it all became part of humongous corruption, the incompetence that we had to deal with because you didn’t understand why a service person’s meagre allowance due them will not be paid on time," he lamented.

On the possibility of an increment in the service allowance, Gyamfi hinted that discussions were underway.

"I think President Mahama understands the circumstances that we are in, and having reduced the corruption, the thievery, and the scheme by that much, I’m sure already he’s thinking about, 'Okay, can we claw back some of the money that we have saved?' So it’s in the pipeline a little bit," he revealed.

Service personnel have long advocated for an increase in their GH¢715 monthly stipend, citing rising inflation and economic hardships. While no official timeline has been given, Gyamfi’s comments indicate that the government is actively exploring options for a possible increment.