Government won’t sponsor our new programme for personnel abroad – NSS

The National Service Scheme (NSS) has said the government will not be responsible for financing its new programme which seeks to send graduates the opportunity abroad as part of national service.

The program seeks to give graduates for up to three months of training with a company abroad.

According to the Scheme, partner agencies under whose supervision the personnel will be working abroad will finance the travel expenses, accommodation, while the NSS pays its usual allowances enjoyed by all NSS personnel.

The project which is to begin in the 2019/2020 cycle of national service hopes to equip personnel with experiences and skills acquired from the countries.

Deputy Executive Directors of National Service Scheme in charge of Finance and Administration, Gifty Oware spoke to Citi News about the details of this project.

“We have signed contracts with the SOS International, with the University of Florida and some agencies that are ready to take our NSS personnel to train them and bring them back, and by this I am talking about those that are making impact and the onus is on the management of the NSS to set up a committee to examine the people who are really making impact.”

“The financing of this project is going to be done by the agencies that we are collaborating with and it has no bearing on government so the government is not going to do any sponsorship. It is not going to cost on anybody and the interesting thing is that while these people are out there being trained, they are still going to be on allowance.”

The programme christened “National Service Global Practice Initiative” seeks to mould Ghanaian youth into globally-exposed youth leaders with universal experience, ideas and best practices to contribute to the development of their local communities.

Mr Mustapha Ussif, the Executive Director of NSS, announced this in Accra at a National Youth Unemployment Dialogue on the theme: “Addressing Youth Unemployment in Ghana: Strategies for Sustainability and Inclusivity”.

“It is the expectation of the Scheme that the experiences and skills acquired from the countries they are sent to can be used in the development and improvement of various local communities in the country.”

Mr Ussif explained that the programme was necessary because the Scheme wants to supply Ghanaian leaders who were adequately prepared to tackle local issues utilizing global best practices.

It is estimated that about 50 per cent of graduates who leave Ghanaian Universities would not find jobs for two years after their national service and 20 per cent of these graduates would not find jobs after three years of completing their national service.

This, according to the Executive Director, was a concern for all to develop innovative ways to assuage the menace.