Felix Gyamfi, Acting Director of the Ghana National Service Authority, has assured National Service workers across the country that all outstanding allowances will be paid in full beginning today, as per President John Mahama’s directive.
Speaking on Joy FM’s PM Express on Wednesday, February 12, Gyamfi thanked the President for quickly tackling the backlog, noting that Mahama had always been worried about delays in payments to service people, even before taking office.
“We should thank President John Mahama. Even before he became president, he had his press worried about the delay in payment of military workers, especially because the service allowance is a meager ¢715, considering our major inflation concerns.
“So he sat down, and once we presented the figures to him, he ordered for a complete payment of all arrears,” he told me.
Mr Gyamfi confirmed that the delayed salaries from August to December will be disbursed, providing much-needed relief to thousands of military people.
“From tomorrow, service personnel will start receiving all arrears due them, from, I think, all the way from August, September, October, November, December,” he assured them.
He blamed the periodic payment delays in recent years on corruption and ineptitude inside the system, implying that inefficiencies had deprived service workers of their proper allowances.
“Why has it come to this? I believe that over the previous eight years, it has all become part of massive corruption and ineptitude that we have had to deal with because you did not understand why a service person’s modest stipend would not be paid on time,” he complained.
When asked about the potential of increasing the current allowance, Gyamfi underlined President Mahama’s commitment to improving circumstances for military personnel.
“I believe President Mahama understands the situation and has decreased corruption, thieving, and the scam significantly. And I’m sure he’s already wondering, “Okay, can we recoup some of our savings?” So it’s in the pipeline a little bit. I am sure he is thinking about it,” he said.
The certainty of timely payments has relieved National Service troops, many of whom have been under financial duress for months as a result of delayed allowances. With the government’s renewed emphasis on efficiency and anti-corruption measures, Gyamfi believes service staff should expect a more dependable payment system in the future.