The National Service Authority (NSA) announced that it will begin refunding the GH¢41 registration fee to eligible national service personnel by Monday or Tuesday. The refunds will apply only to those who paid the fee while attempting to register or who successfully registered under the old national service registration system.
An NSA official explained on the AM Show that the Authority had to audit the old records before processing the refunds. “The 41 Ghana cedis that they said we promised them a refund, it is true,” he said. He added that the old registration system was shut down after concerns over its integrity, including suspected ghost names, and that the government had directed the Authority to procure a new system, leaving it with less than three weeks to establish a replacement registration platform.
Because the old records could not simply be transferred to the new system, the NSA had to determine which personnel had actually paid the registration fee. “We needed to also liaise with the administrator of the previous system to ensure that we conduct an audit and then those who actually paid for it are given the refund,” the official said. He said the audit was almost complete and that personnel would receive their money by Monday or Tuesday.
The official also rejected claims that the NSA enrolled personnel in insurance schemes without consent, saying that insurance companies engaged personnel directly at registration centres and provided forms for those who wanted to subscribe. He acknowledged complaints that deductions continued after cancellations, but said the NSA was working to resolve the issue.
He disputed allegations that a GH¢50 charge at some validation centres was a printing fee, explaining that the charge covered administrative arrangements such as canopies, chairs and water for personnel who sometimes waited several hours. Regarding the GH¢60 deduction linked to the Zeus Atlas capacity‑building programme, the official said the arrangement was entered into by the National Service Personnel Association (NASPA) rather than the NSA, and that the NSA had directed the deductions be stopped and an investigation begun.
Finally, the NSA official denied claims that national service personnel were owed two or three months of allowances, noting that the July allowance was paid in August and that personnel were currently owed one month as of September. He said the Authority still had to process September allowances and other payments, including transport and travel‑related claims, before personnel complete their service. The NSA remains open to engaging personnel and addressing concerns raised about registration, deductions and allowance payments.
