NSS allowance 2027: Budget sets aside GH¢1bn for National Service personnel

It comes out of the youth ministry's GH¢3.5 billion budget, which also includes GH¢2 billion for youth employment and skills programmes. The rest of the budget's figures are in our 2027 Budget in numbers.

The budget does not say how many service personnel the money will cover, or whether the monthly allowance will change in 2027.

The last rate the National Service Authority gave publicly was about GH¢715 a month. That was in October 2025, when Acting Director-General Ruth Dela Seddoh said an increase was being discussed.

At that rate, GH¢1 billion would pay roughly 116,000 personnel for a full year. The 2026/2027 service year began in October, so much of next year's money will go to personnel already at post.

The allocation is higher than what the Authority says it actually paid out in 2025.

In April, Deputy Director-General for Operations Lt Col Moses Dok Nach Kpeungu said the payroll had shrunk sharply after ghost names were removed and payment checks tightened.

"Previously, the payroll of the government was about 1.5 to 1.6 billion every year. As of last year, we paid barely about 700 million Ghana cedis," he said.

He added that the savings did not come from posting fewer personnel.

The clean-up followed a payroll scandal now before the courts. On Wednesday, a Bureau of National Investigations detective told the Accra High Court that 63,673 "faceless names" drew allowances for work never done in the 2023 and 2024 service periods.

He was testifying in the trial of former Deputy Executive Director Gifty Oware-Mensah, who faces five counts, including stealing and causing financial loss to the state. She has denied the charges and remains on bail.

Paying on time has been a separate problem. In April, a group representing service personnel, the Concerned National Service Personnel Association of Ghana, complained that many were still waiting for their February allowance, with March's also outstanding.

The budget does not say anything about the timing of payments in 2027.

The full Budget Statement says the Authority has introduced a Work Readiness and Leadership Programme to teach every service person soft skills, with training expected to start this month.

Service personnel were also deployed this year to support farm extension work, which the Statement links to an improvement in the ratio of extension officers to farmers.

Separately, more than 3,000 former service personnel have applied for a four-week basic military training programme due to start in December. Only 2,000 will be selected.

The Authority released the first 70,072 postings for the 2026/2027 service year on September 30, and extended registration to October 23.

The government is also planning a Diaspora National Service programme that would bring young Ghanaians born abroad home for about two months.

For other youth lines in the budget, from a training scheme for delivery riders to 100,000 YEA places, see what the 2027 Budget promises young job hunters.