National Service is innovating to take the lead in nation-building.
Mr. Osei Assibey Antwi, Executive Director of the National Service Scheme (NSS), stated that the Scheme aimed to become a nation-building force within the next five years.
He stated that as the Service approaches its 50th anniversary, it is considering financial independence and maturity, and is thus mobilizing under a new dispensation to reposition itself as a primary provider of employment and economic stability for the youth.
The Executive Director was speaking at the 13th Annual National Service Personnel Association (NSPA) Mini Congress in Ho, where he stated that the Scheme, which has one of the most accurate data pools on university graduates, was well-suited to lead the graduate employment drive.
Mr. Antwi stated that the Scheme, under its new direction, had identified agriculture and housing as sectors with high growth potential, and that with high graduate unemployment, these are areas to undertake bold initiatives to own.
He stated that eleven initiatives were being implemented to address the unemployment deficit and boost the job economy.
The Scheme, according to the Executive Director, has also been found to have the potential to address the rising teacher shortage in rural areas in particular, with its housing gangs providing much-needed accommodation among other facilities.
He stated that the Scheme was looking to the nation's rich agrarian landscape and had secured a 200,000 acre patch from the traditional authorities of Kumawu to establish an agricultural industry, with the hope of absorbing the over 4500 students graduating in agriculture and related sciences each year.
Mr. Antwi declared, "So, soon, NSS will be the leader in agriculture," adding that the enterprise would be mechanized and developed into a "renaissance village" for the food processing industry.
He also mentioned the "NSS in Housing" project, which he described as an ambitious undertaking in which 40 housing gangs of 100 qualified builders each would wage housing campaigns across the country.
According to the Executive Director, the initiative aimed to work with the Ministry of Education to provide affordable housing units for teachers across the country.
"National Service is being innovative so that in five years, we will be able to position ourselves to be self-sufficient," he said, referring to the rising graduate population that is being cushioned by the free SHS program.
The Scheme is also launching a "Youth in Accounting" initiative to assist SMEs with accounting and other business management services, both of which are critical to the growth of the nation's industries and business landscape.
According to the Executive Director, the scheme must "appreciate the problems of the day" and commit to assisting in the development of long-term solutions, and thus must embrace innovation.
He stated that, as a result of a collaboration with the Ghana Tech Lab, the Service had created more than 20 mobile-based apps serving the hospitality, health, and waste management sectors.
The Mini Congress brought together NSPA national and regional executives for a workshop to equip them with the necessary leadership skills.
Mr. Ambrose Entsiwah Jr., Volta Regional Director of the Scheme, stated that the two-day congress would discuss issues pertaining to the Service, and he urged everyone to work together to achieve its vision.
Dr. Archibald Yao Letsa, Volta Regional Minister, congratulated the Scheme's management on the new direction and asked personnel to understand the current global economy in order to help profess the necessary solutions.
He stated that the government was working to bring the country to a state of economic security and urged everyone to bear and support these efforts.
Tammy Sherger, CEO of the I Am Worth It Project, a top Canadian management consulting firm that led the workshop, urged the leaders to focus on a vision and train to leave their comfort zones in order to achieve planned goals.
The highly interactive workshop taught action planning and time management skills, as well as other qualities required in developing the necessary leadership for the Service and the nation as a whole.
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