Thomas Nyarko Ampem, the Deputy Finance Minister-designate, addressed the question of why he did not complete his national service during his vetting on February 24, 2025.
In response to direct questions, he clarified that he did not serve the mandatory one-year national service because he was a trained teacher. At the time, teachers were not required to enroll for national service, as they were already engaged with the Ghana Education Service (GES).
After the vetting, he further explained his situation on social media, stating, “I was a teacher with GES, and that’s why I didn’t do the normal national service.”
The National Service Act of 1980 outlines several offences related to national service, including evasion, desertion, self-posting, and absenteeism.
Evasion occurs when someone fails to report to their assigned service post without proper authorization, while desertion refers to leaving service early without permission.
The Act also addresses absenteeism, stating that individuals who are absent without approval may forfeit their allowance for those days. Self-posting, where a service member reports to an unauthorized institution, is also prohibited, and such service will not be recognized.
Nyarko Ampem’s clarification aims to address concerns around his failure to complete national service and align his situation with the legal understanding of the service requirements at the time.
