By Juliet Fianu
Some prospective National Service Personnel are appealing to the National Service Authority (NSA) to extend the deadline for registration. They explained that attempts to register on the new online portal have been challenging due to system failures, which they attribute to the large number of applicants trying to log in simultaneously.
The appeal comes as the one-week registration exercise ends today. The Authority recently launched a new online registration portal for prospective service personnel, replacing the previous Central Service Management Platform (CSMP).
Speaking to GBC Ghana Online, some prospective personnel said their inability to complete the process smoothly has left them stranded, calling for improvements to the system.
Michael Sam, a prospective service member, said: “The reason for the re-registration was because of the issue of ghost names, which was massive. When the portal was declared open, the first, second, and third days, there were a lot of people on it. Even at 10pm, it wasn’t going through. Not that the portal was faulty, but because too many people were trying to register, it was hectic.”
He added that some of his correct personal information was rejected by the portal as incorrect, leaving him worried he might not complete his registration before the deadline.
Bernard Afful, interim SRC president for UniMAC-IJ, said: “Personally, I didn’t have any challenge with the registration, but some of my friends did. Their pictures were not being verified after being taken. Some had different dates of birth on their Ghana Card and on the school portal. I would appeal for the deadline to be extended because many of my colleagues have not been able to register. Once there’s a difference in date of birth, they have to swear an affidavit, which takes time.”
Another applicant, Kenneth Andoh, shared similar frustrations: “The challenges I encountered were system downtime, slow network connectivity, and inadequate communication regarding required documents and verification procedures. I strongly appeal for an extension of the deadline because many prospective service personnel have faced technical difficulties.”
Meanwhile, the National Identification Authority (NIA) has set up a help desk at its head office in Accra to assist prospective National Service personnel facing verification challenges on the registration portal.
In addition, a Personal Information Update Service Point has been established at the same location for applicants who need to update their personal details, at a fee of GH₵6, consistent with the cost of updates at all NIA district offices nationwide.
A statement signed by the Head of Corporate Affairs, Williams Ampomah Darlas, said all NIA offices across the country have been directed to prioritise prospective National Service personnel to facilitate swift and seamless registration.
