Media have been key ally in National Service Authority’s journey — NSA Director-General

The Director-General of the National Service Authority (NSA), Osei Assibey Antwi, has commended the Ghanaian media for their unwavering support and objective reportage on the activities of the authority.

He said that for the past 50 years, the media has played significant roles in the then National Service Scheme (NSS) activities.

He encouraged the media to continue to support the authority in the spirit of mutual respect and commitment towards building a better Ghana for all Ghanaians.

Mr Assibey Antwi made these statements during a media engagement event organised as part of the activities for the official transition of the NSS to the NSA.

He observed that for 50 years, the NSS performed its core mandate of mobilising and deploying eligible Ghanaians to the various sectors of the Ghanaian economy for national development and that the scheme has successfully achieved its expected targets. “However, we need to do more now as an authority”, he added.

Need to do more

Mr Assibey Antwi reiterated the need to maintain the bond between the authority and the media “as we do whatever we can to ensure the development of the country’s youth.”

Mr Assibey Antwi said rolling over from a scheme to an authority meant that more responsibilities have been placed on the management and staff, now that the scheme has become an authority.

“Becoming an authority means that we need to change our attitudes towards the work we do and be more responsive to the expectations of the general public, especially our major stakeholders.

“Many of the things that we do must meet the general expectations of the public, especially regarding our deployment exercise, which is our core mandate as an authority,” he stated.

Special consideration

Responding to some concerns and questions from the media, the Deputy Director-General of the authority in charge of General Services, Gifty Oware-Mensah, cleared the perception that all deployments of the authority are allegedly done based on “protocol postings” for children and relatives of rich and influential personalities of the society.

She explained that people with special needs and disabilities, married women, pregnant women and those who are specifically requested by tertiary institutions and other user agencies are usually given special consideration to be posted to specified places.

“These, however, do not transcend the specifically identified individuals to every person in the posting process,” she stressed, and urged the media to disregard sensational rumours and always seek the truth from management of the authority.

“Our doors are always open for the media to come to verify whatever you need to know, and we will always be here to welcome you and to provide you with the needed information about the authority,” she added.