All national service personnel in Ghana will undergo two months of basic military training starting August 3rd, 2025, the National Service Authority (NSA) has announced.
The decision follows a high-level meeting between the NSA and the Military High Command on Wednesday, April 23rd, 2025, at the Ministry of Defence in Accra.
The meeting focused on finalizing plans for the new National Service Emergency Response Readiness Programme (NSERRP), which aims to equip graduates with military drills, discipline, and a sense of national pride.
The initiative mirrors President John Dramani Mahama’s proposal in his February 27thState of the Nation Address, where he called for short-term military training to strengthen discipline, patriotism, and physical fitness among Ghana’s youth.
NSA Director-General, Mr. Felix Gyamfi, described the programme as timely and necessary. “This military training is a step in the right direction and must be embraced by all and sundry as one of the indicators for resetting the country, particularly the youth,” he said.
The training will last up to two months and will form part of the national service experience for all personnel. While logistics are still being arranged, the NSA says it is working closely with key agencies to ensure readiness ahead of the August rollout.
Brigadier General Amoah-Boakye, speaking on behalf of the Military High Command, pledged full support from the Ghana Armed Forces to implement the programme successfully.
The NSERRP is expected to not only toughen graduates physically but also foster a deeper sense of civic duty, unity, and nation-building spirit among Ghana’s future leaders.
Prior to this initiative, NPP’s Hon. Kennedy Agyapong, during a 2023 interview while contesting for the party’s flag-bearership, shared his views on the matter, stating that due to the high level of indiscipline in Ghana, every National Service personnel should undergo military training.
He proposed that every university graduate or service personnel should spend six months in the military before completing the remaining six months of national service in their assigned institutions.
“Because of indiscipline in Ghana every university graduate or National Service personnel will serve six months in the military before they continue with the rest of the six months and finish the job in the country. We need discipline in the country. I assure you, if God permits and I am sworn in on January 7, 2025, I will implement this,” he said during the interview.
