Ghana will launch a six-week Basic Military Orientation Programme for national service personnel starting August 31, targeting 10,000 graduates in pilot cohorts before scaling to 100,000.
Youth Minister George Opare Addo clarified the initiative—developed with the Ghana Armed Forces—aims to instill “discipline, national pride, and leadership,” not militarization.
The reforms align with the National Service Act 2024, repositioning the scheme for workforce readiness as 130,000 graduates deploy across education, health, agriculture, and private sectors this service year.
Concurrently, the Feed Ghana and Happy Programmes will engage 45,000 agriculturally trained personnel in large-scale farming. Current projects include 1,500 acres of maize (1,000 nearing harvest) and 600 acres of tomatoes, with plans to expand to 2,000 acres by 2026.
A new entrepreneurship pathway also allows youth-led ventures to serve as national service sites, targeting 1,000 graduate businesses in partnership with the National Entrepreneurship and Innovation Programme (NEIP). Opare Addo emphasized transforming “job seekers into job creators” through incubation support and market access.
