The Executive Director of the National Service Secretariat (NSS), Mr. Osei Assibey-Antwi, has stated that the scheme was going to motivate and support service personnel who were into Agriculture as a profession to encourage others to enhance food security.
He affirmed that the NSS was poised to cultivate about 4,500 hectares annually, for which it had started with 20,000 hectares of land at Kumawu in the Ashanti Region.
The NSS Executive Director, who was speaking at the NASPA week celebration in Kumasi, disclosed that service personnel, who opted for Agriculture, would undergo a year’s practical training at the NSS farms with funds to prepare the land to transition them into agriculture to come out as entrepreneurs.
He disclosed that, currently, a lot of people were buying into the NSS new mission of “Deployment to Employment,” saying, three companies required about 3,000 personnel to work towards achieving the new mission.
Mr. Osei Assibey-Antwi announced that the Scheme would embark on Information and Communications Technology (ICT) training for personnel, while partnering the TITEL to train as teachers and distance teaching programmes as graduates with diploma certificates.
He commended the previous Ashanti Regional NASPA for the contribution and support in the refurbishment and fencing of the Secretariat, and setting up of CCTV to improve the security system at the premises.
He also expressed gratitude to the out-going personnel of the Scheme for availing themselves for National Service and were about to join the job market for making Ghana and their families proud.
He said their curriculum vitae and other particulars would be on job platforms as they had acquired formal education awaiting employment.
Mr. Alex Opoku Mensah, Ashanti Regional Director of NSS, also expressed his profound gratitude to the previous personnel for their legacy, evidenced in the effective and efficient operations of the Regional Directorate.
He, therefore, entreated the current personnel to emulate the shining example of their predecessors, as ambassadors of the Scheme in the job market.
He stressed that, there was nothing like special posting for National Service, saying the Scheme was working like the Ghana Education Service, hence, personnel were posted to where his/her service was needed, unless one was having a special medical condition.
He encouraged the personnel to seek insurance coverage, for which reason the Ashanti Regional Directorate was partnering the SIC for the personnel to contribute a minimal amount to enable them benefit when in need.
Mr. Emmanuel Duncan Agbogah, National President of NASPA, reiterated their resolve to help build and improve the economy, especially through agriculture and skills training programmes, in line with the NSS mission.
He assured the authority that they would leave an indelible mark at the end of their service.
