The Minister for Defence, Dr Edward Omane Boamah, has announced the launch of a new national initiative aimed at equipping Ghana’s youth with essential emergency response and public safety skills, under the National Service Emergency Response Readiness Programme.
According to him, 10,000 National Service Personnel will undergo six weeks of voluntary training beginning in August 2025.
Speaking at the Government Accountability Series press briefing in Accra, Dr Boamah outlined the programme’s objectives and structure, emphasizing its role in strengthening national resilience.
“The National Service Emergency Response Readiness Programme will begin in a few weeks.The basic military and emergency response training is a six-week orientation training scheduled to run in two batches from August to October this year.”
The programme will cover a wide range of practical and value-based topics, including:
Basic military orientation, First aid and basic life support, Disaster and fire management, Nationalism and patriotism and Loyalty, mentorship, and leadership.
Dr Boamah stressed that the initiative is entirely voluntary, designed to empower young Ghanaians without imposing mandatory participation.
“They are volunteers; it is not compulsory. The core objective of the training is to equip the National Service personnel with the relevant skills in security, disaster preparedness, and public safety.”