The National Service Scheme (NSS) is exploring more creative methods to end hunger, ensure sustainable food security and to create jobs through agriculture.
The scheme has set a target of cultivating commercial farms on a twenty thousand acre land at Kumawu in the Sekyere District of the Ashanti Region.
Executive Director of the NSS, Osei Assibey was addressing executives of The National Service Personnel Association (NASPA) during their week celebration in Kumasi.
He revealed the NSS already has 14 farms across the country where it cultivates mainly maize. However, the Kumawu Youth Farm will engage in mixed cropping and animal husbandry.
Under the theme “Deployment for Employment”, Mr Antwi explained that “the new strategic direction is the bedrock of the move to venture into full-scale commercial farming; currently, the NSS is in talks with agencies, including the German Agency for International Cooperation (GIZ) and the MasterCard Foundation, which had expressed interest in making funds available for the cultivation of the land.”
He added that the farm will serve as immediate employment for all agric related graduates who are enrolled unto the National Service Scheme.
Meanwhile, Ashanti Regional Director for the Scheme, Alex Opoku Mensah, further encouraged all personnel to accept in good fate any locations they are posted to because it forms part of the national assignment.
Mr. Opoku Mensah explained that the scheme posts personnel to where their expertise are needed not where they want to be posted to.
He advised therefore that, personnel should accept their places of posting despite the availability of reposting for persons with disabilities which doesn’t apply to all persons.
Touching on some successes chalked since his assumption into office as Ashanti Regional Director, Mr. Opoku Mensah explained that the scheme has used its internally generated funds to fence the regional secretariat to ward off intruders.
“To maximize security at the regional secretariat we have installed 24/7 CCTV to monitor operations within and around the office,” he said.
The NSS Regional Director further bid the NASPA executives successful week celebrations and admonished them including the entire personnel across the 16 regions to celebrate the NASPA week anniversary in modesty to avoid any untoward attitude.
By Nana Asenso-Mensah|AkomaFM|Onuaonline.com
