National Services Authority Bill on Consideration Stage for Passage to Law
The services Authority Bill 2024, which was recommended to be taken under the certificate of urgency by the Education Committee of Parliament, is on the consideration stage in parliament.
The Consideration is likely to be concluded on Tuesday, July 9, 2024 for parliament to pass the Bill under a certificate of urgency by the House.
Mr. Kwabena Amankwa Asiamah, Chairman of the Education Committee of Parliament who presented the Committee report on the Bill said the current status of the National Service Scheme under the existing Act and comprehensively analysing the object of the Bill, the Committee realised that there were opportunities to be derived if the Bill was urgently passed into law.
The object of the Bill is to establish the National Service Authority to mobilise and post persons qualified to undertake national service in areas of national priority for national development, inculcate the values of civic responsibility, discipline, patriotism, national cohesion and voluntarism in persons qualified to undertake national service and promote employability, entrepreneurship, technology and innovation among persons qualified to undertake national service.
The Bill seeks to establish an Authority as a body corporate with the requisite legal capacity to develop and implement policies, and programmes for national Service.
The National Service Authority Bill, 2024, was laid in Parliament by the Education Minister under a certificate of urgency on Friday, 14th June, pursuant to the Cabinet Memorandum dated Tuesday, 7th May.
The Bill was subsequently referred to the Committee on Education for determination of the urgency or otherwise in accordance with Order 160(2) of the Standing Orders of Parliament.
The Scheme was established under the Ghana National Service Scheme Act, 1980 (Act 426) with the core mandate of mobilising and deploying Ghanaian citizens of eighteen years and above for the national priority development programmes through a mandatory national service programme.
Mr. Asiamah noted that the Scheme had been in existence for some time and that it had become imperative that a new legislation was passed to address some challenges facing the scheme under the Ghana National Service Scheme Act, 1980 (Act 426) and to upgrade the Scheme to an Authority.
He said that the Scheme was not a body corporate, it lacks the requisite capacity to do so; saying “it is therefore imperative to establish the National Service as a body corporate, hence, the introduction of the National Service Authority Bill”.
He said the Scheme was currently working on a large track of land acquired in the name of the Scheme; adding that due to the lack of capacity of the Scheme, these enviable opportunities were evading the Scheme.
The Committee Chairman cited an example that there was a difficulty in registering the lands in the name of the Scheme, resulting in the encroachment on some of these lands; saying, “unfortunately, the Scheme does not have the requisite capacity to institute legal actions against these encroachers.”
Hon Bernaard Ahiafor, the Ranking Member of Constitutional and Legal Affairs Committee of Parliament Member of Parliament (MP) Akatsi South, in supporting the Bill urged the House to take the Bill under the certificate of urgency as the Scheme faces several encroachments on it immovable property across the country.
He assured to assist parliament clean the Bill to meet standard and to achieve the objectives of which it intended to achieve.
Mr. Kwame Anyimadu-Antwi, the Chairman of the Committee on Constitutional, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs, reiterated the need for the Bill to be passed under a certificate of urgency; citing the challenges such encroachment of the Scheme’s lands other properties and the lack of corporate status.
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Source: Felix Nyaaba // expressnewsghana.com
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