National Service Personnel have expressed their views on the increment of their monthly allowance by 28% as announced by the scheme on July 23, 2023.
A statement issued by the Corporate Affairs Directorate of the National Service Scheme (NSS) over the weekend disclosed that the government has given clearance for the monthly allowance to be increased from GH¢559.04 to GH¢715.57 effective January 2023.
Currently, there is one hundred and fifteen thousand, two hundred and forty (115,240) personnel serving at various state and private institutions.
The personnel at the end of the month take home GH¢559.04 which they reckoned to be far lower than can support the high cost of living in the country. The Ghana Report interviewed some NSS personnel at various institutions to share their views on the increment of their monthly allowance.
“As for the NSS personnel, this is the miracle we have been expecting looking at the way the cost of transportation is draining our coffers. I was very excited when I heard the news yesterday because they have been promising us that they will increase the allowance but we have not seen that reflected in our monthly payment. I will be grateful if the government does what has been promised”, Raphiatu Musah, one of the NSS personnel with the Ghana Broadcasting Corporation(GBC) spoke with The Ghana Report.
“As for the increment, I am very happy about it. I am very excited about it and what we want them to do now is to honor what they have promised and do the needful. Our June allowance has still not been paid and we are pleading with the government to pay us GH¢715.57 for the month of June instead of GH¢559.04” one of the interviewees said.
However, other personnel believe the 28% increment is insufficient looking at the inflation in the country.
“With me, the increment of the NSS allowance is not a big deal to me to be elated about. Looking at the economy now GH¢715.57 isn’t an amount of money that will be able to cater for me. Looking at how food and transportation are expensive, I think the increment will not be able to solve our problems. It will still be very difficult for us to save looking at the total expenses we incur within the month”, Racheal Boateng, with GBC also added.
Another service personnel with a private institution said “Well, I will say I’m very glad the government has considered to increase the NSS monthly allowance. Where I stay and come to work is very far but I have no option to be absent from work. I have to sometimes depend on my family for support. My boss sometimes gives me something small for transportation and that is what keeps me going but what about those who do not have anybody who will support them? he quizzed.
“Now food is very expensive. If you try to take only ‘kenkey’ and fish at work even at the end of the month you will see that you don’t have anything to save. The government moving forward must increase the monthly allowance to GH¢1,000 or something better for NSS personnel”, he added.
“Personally it is a good idea but I think they should have increased it to GH¢1,000.00. A few years ago they were debating on it to increase our allowance which wasn’t done. Now that they want to increase it should be something huge that will be sufficient for us. Sometimes our salaries delay and we have to use our own money for transportation. Boiling it down together we will appreciate it more if the allowance was increased to GH¢1,000.00 instead of GH¢715.57. Anyway what can we do about it, we will accept it as the government has suggested”, one NSS person Andy Oppong Dankyi noted.
Caleb Sottie also said, “Me personally I don’t feel too good about it because after this GH¢715.57 increment what next?”, he questioned.
“Where are the jobs after NSS?”
“The nation is just a big joke doing anything desperately for votes” he added.
The last time the NSS allowance was adjusted was in January 2017 and that was from GH¢350.00 to GH¢559 04.
