The National Service Authority says the exercise will target both public and private sector institutions hiring graduates without valid service certificates
ACCRA – The National Service Authority (NSA) has announced plans for a nationwide inspection of employers to ensure only graduates with valid national service certificates are being hired, warning that violations constitute an offence under the law.
Lieutenant Colonel Moses Dok Nach Kpeungu, Deputy Director-General in charge of Operations at the NSA, disclosed the upcoming exercise in an interview on Joy FM on April 20, 2026. He said the inspection would extend the authority’s anti-fraud measures beyond payroll verification to workplaces across the country.
“Very soon we are going to embark on an exercise,” Lt Col Kpeungu said. “We are going to reach out to institutions and the HR units that have employed people without a certificate. It is a requirement for employment.”
He stressed that the directive applies to all employers, including those in the private sector. “By law, whether you are in the private sector or not, you must do national service. It is an offence to employ somebody without a National Service Certificate,” he stated.
The inspection is grounded in the National Service Authority Act, 2024 (Act 1119), which restructured the former service scheme into an authority and expanded its regulatory mandate. Employers who recruit graduates without valid certificates risk sanctions, including fines, though Lt Col Kpeungu did not specify the penalties during the interview.
The deputy director-general explained that the exercise would initially focus on education and compliance rather than punitive action.
“We are not saying dismiss them from your institution,” he said. “We need to regularise it. They will be given a window of opportunity to reach out to us, and we will rectify it.”
He noted that some employers may be unaware of the legal requirement. “There are people who do not know that national service is mandatory. There are others who also do not know that if you are employing somebody, it is a basic requirement to inspect the person’s National Service Certificate,” he added.
Lt Col Kpeungu indicated that the NSA currently has 99,508 graduates on active deployment, including newly posted nurses, each receiving a monthly allowance of GH¢715.
He stressed that the initiative is intended to promote compliance rather than create tension between the authority and employers.
“This is not a confrontation,” he said. “We just want to create awareness.”
The NSA is yet to announce a start date for the nationwide inspection exercise.
