The National Service Scheme (NSS) yesterday held a flag-raising ceremony in remembrance of fallen heroes of National Service since 1973.
The ceremony, held in Accra was to also commemorate 50 years of its establishment.
Speaking at the ceremony, the Deputy Minister of Education, Rev. John Ntim Fordjour, noted that the day was set aside to remember and honour all the men and women who died while serving the nation.
He said it was to also celebrate all young people who in their various ways serve the country notably and make impacts in national development.
“As we are about to raise the flag of the country, we will do so in a pure sense of patriotism, we will do so recognising that our forefathers have done their part and have charted the path for us, it is our time to do our best to consolidate on the path of patriotism that they have charted,” he stated.
The deputy minister commended the past and current leadership of the NSS for their excellent work and various contributions towards promoting the country at all sectors.
He highlighted that National Service was an opportunity for national orientation and for individuals to try their hands in the working industry to contribute to nation-building.
This, he urged all prospective National Service personnel to accept wherever they were posted so they could be impactful.
The Executive Director of NSS, Mr Osei Assibey Antwi, in his remarks said 50 years of service to the nation, the NSS had been contributing to the national development at all sectors of the economy.
“Throughout the years, National Service has supported the rural areas. Places where people find it difficult to go, National Service personnel go there to support in the area of teaching and learning, you will find National Service personnel in health, administrative services, public and civil service, local governance, agriculture and others,” he said.
He noted that the NSS was committed in supporting the Ministry of Education to drive the Science, Technology, Engineer and Mathematics (STEM) agenda which was going to revolutionise the country for graduates to get jobs.
Mr Antwi asserted that, NSS was going to focus more on the “end-to-end” agricultural approach, that is they were not only going to promote the cultivation of crops, rather they were going to add value to these crops after harvesting.
Also, he highlighted that with support from Ministry of Education and Ministry of Food and Agriculture, NSS was also considering the poultry industry to expand their operations in agriculture.
“There is another key area which NSS is going to drive from today onwards that is formalisation of the informal sector and also we are coming out with an accounting aid by sending our professional NSS personnel to help Small and Medium Enterprises on how to keep records and access financial support to invest in the business,” he said.
The Director-General of State Interests and Governance Authority (SIGA), Edward Boateng, said SIGA was committed to working with NSS to further enhance the impacts on national development.
“Together, we will continue to provide opportunities for our youth to grow, learn and serve the nation with pride,” he assured.
BY CECILIA LAGBA YADA
