In a bid to root out ghost names from its payroll, the National Service Authority (NSA) has introduced a new requirement for prospective national service personnel.
As of now, only individuals with a valid Ghana Card will be eligible to register for national service.
According to NSA Director General Felix Gyamfi, who made the announcement at a press conference on Thursday, February 13, 2025, this measure is crucial in ensuring the integrity of the national service system.
“If you do not have a valid Ghana card ID, you will not be allowed into our system. If you are a prospective graduate and you do not have a valid Ghana Card to register, you will not be allowed to do national service. So, these are some of the pathways to take away the ghost names,” he explained.
Gyamfi attributed the prevalence of ghost names to lax leadership and inadequate checks in the past.
“This was a leadership problem. This was a situation where the checks that were put in place to save the taxpayers money was supposed to have kicked in and it didn’t kick in,” he noted during the press conference.
The move comes on the heels of a recent headcount, which uncovered a staggering 81,885 suspected ghost names on the NSA’s payroll.
By tying national service registration to the Ghana Card, the NSA aims to prevent further abuse of the system and ensure that resources are allocated efficiently.