Minister Halts GH¢60 ‘Alawa’ Deductions

George Opare Addo, the Minister for Youth Development and Empowerment, has ordered the immediate suspension of the controversial GH¢60 deduction from service personnel allowances, directing the National Service Personnel Association (NASPA) to halt the programme with immediate effect.

The decision, announced at a press conference at the National Service Authority headquarters in Accra on Tuesday July 21, 2026, follows days of intense criticism from service personnel who described the compulsory levy as unjustified and lacking proper consultation.

Addressing journalists, NASPA National President Abdul-Wahab Bala Mohammed said the association had “listened intently” to the concerns, frustrations and questions raised by service personnel across the country.

“We believe that the package represented value for money, especially considering the potential return on investment in terms of your future employability,” Mr. Mohammed said. “However, we fully acknowledge that the financial commitment required may not have been reasonable for all service personnel.”

The suspension came after the management of the National Service Authority (NSA), acting on the directive of Sector Minister George Opare Addo and the NSA Board, ordered NASPA to halt the programme pending a comprehensive review.

Mr. Mohammed assured service personnel that no further deductions would be made in connection with the training scheme while the review is underway.

The controversy erupted when personnel discovered that GH¢60 had been deducted from their monthly allowances at source, before funds were credited to their accounts, for a “Capacity Building Programme” organised in partnership with Zeus Atlas Limited.

A group calling itself the Concerned National Service Personnel Association of Ghana issued a statement on July 17 questioning the legal basis for the deduction and demanding transparency regarding the use of funds.

The group demanded that NASPA specify which provision of its constitution authorised a compulsory deduction, which provision of the law governing the NSA permitted it, and whether the NSA had formally approved the deduction.

They also sought clarification on how much money would be collected nationwide, why Zeus Atlas Limited was selected, and what procurement process was followed.

“National Service Personnel deserve answers, not assumptions,” the group’s statement read. “Transparency is not optional when deductions are made from the allowances of young graduates already facing economic hardship.”

Mr. Mohammed explained that the initiative was conceived in December 2025 after the National Executive Council (NEC), comprising Regional Presidents from all sixteen regions, deliberated on improving the post-service employability of personnel.

The association said it drew on a 2024 pilot capacity-building programme in the Greater Accra Region, which it said had yielded positive feedback, before deciding to scale the initiative nationwide.

NASPA said the estimated contribution for the programme was GH¢15 a month, amounting to about GH¢180 over a full service year, covering practical training and a certificate of completion.

The association said it had formally requested the NSA to facilitate a deduction of GH¢60 to cover a four-month learning period, which was the amount taken from personnel’s last allowance payment.

However, in an earlier explanation dated July 14, NASPA had confirmed the deduction and said it was being undertaken in accordance with the association’s constitutional provisions and all required administrative processes.

The association insisted that as an autonomous body, it had the right to enter into contractual agreements independently without oversight from the NSA, and said NSA management was only formally notified after the contract had already been signed.

Mr. Mohammed said NASPA engaged its newly elected regional executives, gathered feedback from service personnel and held discussions with the management of the NSA before taking the decision to suspend the programme.

“In response to the feedback from the service personnel and general public, and as well as in line with the sector minister’s and board’s directive, the capacity building programme, as currently structured, is hereby suspended with immediate effect, pending a comprehensive review of the programme for a decisive action to be taken.”

The NASPA President welcomed the decision to suspend the programme and thanked the ministry, the NSA Board and management for responding to the concerns raised by personnel.

“I wish to assure every National Service person that there will be no further deductions on behalf of or in relation to the capacity building training,” he said.