The National Service Authority (NSA), acting on the directive of the Minister for Youth, Empowerment and Development, George Opare Addo, and the NSA Board, has ordered the National Service Personnel Association (NASPA) to immediately suspend its Capacity Building Programme pending a comprehensive review.
The decision follows weeks of protests by service personnel who argued they were never consulted before the compulsory GH¢60 deduction was made from their monthly allowances.
Addressing a press conference in Accra, NASPA President Abdul Wahab Mohammed said the association had listened to the concerns raised by personnel across the country and assured them that no further deductions would be made.
The suspension comes after the Concerned National Service Personnel Association of Ghana petitioned the association, questioning the legal basis for the deductions and demanding clarification on whether the move had been approved by the NSA or backed by law.
NASPA explained that the programme was conceived in December 2025 after its National Executive Council resolved to introduce practical skills training to improve the employability of service personnel after national service.
According to the association, the decision was informed by the success of a pilot programme implemented in the Greater Accra Region in 2024.
NASPA said it subsequently signed a contract with Zeus Atlas Limited to deliver the training, maintaining that as an autonomous association it was within its rights to enter into such an agreement without prior approval from the National Service Authority.
The association disclosed that the programme was expected to cost about GH¢180 per participant over the service year, equivalent to GH¢15 per month. However, it requested the NSA to deduct GH¢60 upfront to cover the first four months of training.
NASPA, however, acknowledged that the financial commitment may not have been affordable for all service personnel.
Meanwhile, the Concerned National Service Personnel Association insists that suspending future deductions is insufficient and is demanding a full refund of the GH¢60 already deducted from thousands of personnel nationwide.
The group is also calling on NASPA to publicly disclose the total amount collected and provide a clear timeline for reimbursing all affected service personnel.
