The Director-General of the National Service Authority (NSA), Felix Gyamfi, has made startling revelations linking former Deputy Executive Director, Gifty Oware-Mensah, to months-long delays in national service allowance payments.
Speaking on TV3’s Hot Issues on Sunday, June 15, Mr. Gyamfi alleged that Oware-Mensah collateralised the allowances of service personnel to secure a loan, a move he believes contributed significantly to the delay in payments that affected thousands of national service members.
“A former Deputy Director allegedly collateralising the allowances of national service personnel for a loan is the reason payments delayed for months,” he stated. “I hazard to think that it’s probably the reason why the allowances were delayed for three to four months.”
This revelation adds to the mounting allegations against Gifty Oware-Mensah, who is currently at the center of a GH₵548 million financial scandal under investigation by the Operation Recover All Loot (ORAL) task force.
The Attorney General and Minister for Justice, Dr. Dominic Ayine, has already named her as a key suspect in a wide-reaching scheme involving:
- The use of 9,934 ghost names on the NSA payroll,
- Fraudulently securing a GH₵30.6 million loan from the Agricultural Development Bank using state resources,
- Funneling public funds into private companies, including one she personally directs.
Mr. Gyamfi, who recently assumed office, said he was shocked by the scale of the corruption, some of which went undetected even by national intelligence agencies.
“I have acted on cases that the National Intelligence Bureau did not uncover,” he said. “Despite my 15 years at the NSA, I only discovered these malpractices after becoming Director-General.”
He also announced a broader reform initiative, disclosing that:
- Over 12,000 names have been purged from the service list due to the lack of Ghana Cards,
- 50 tertiary institutions are being disqualified from the upcoming national service registration cycle due to accreditation issues flagged by the Ghana Tertiary Education Commission (GTEC).
Mr. Gyamfi assured the public that systemic reforms and anti-corruption efforts are underway to restore transparency and integrity to the national service scheme.
“We are committed to cleaning up the system and ensuring that no one exploits public service for personal gain,” he affirmed.
The investigation into Oware-Mensah’s activities continues, with security agencies still pursuing her whereabouts after reports indicated she may have gone into hiding.
