Director-General of the National Service Authority (NSA), Felix Gyamfi, says former Deputy Executive Director Gifty Oware-Mensah is responsible for the delays in paying national service personnel.
In an interview on TV3’s Hot Issues, Gyamfi claimed Oware-Mensah used personnel allowances as collateral for a loan. This, he said, explains the three-to-four-month delay in disbursing payments.
“A former deputy director using NSS allowances as loan collateral is likely the reason payments were delayed,” Gyamfi stated.
This development adds a new layer to the ongoing ₵548 million financial scandal. Oware-Mensah was recently named by Attorney General Dr. Dominic Ayine as a key suspect in a corruption scheme uncovered by the Operation Recover All Loot (ORAL) task force.
She is accused of:
- Creating 9,934 ghost names to divert funds
- Acquiring a ₵30.6 million loan under false claims
- Redirecting public money into private companies she controls
Gyamfi, who has worked with the NSA for 15 years, said he only uncovered these issues after becoming Director-General. He expressed frustration over the depth of the fraud. “I’ve taken action on cases that even the National Intelligence Bureau overlooked,” he noted.
Moreover, he disclosed that over 12,000 names were removed from the national service list due to the absence of Ghana Cards. In addition, 50 tertiary institutions risk disqualification from national service registration due to compliance failures identified by the Ghana Tertiary Education Commission.
Despite the challenges, Gyamfi reassured the public. According to him, the NSA is undergoing reforms to restore transparency and efficiency.
