Unprecedented Staff attrition at the NSA
It is said by those of old that the future of every organisation depends on the quality and availability of its human capital. Africa is said to control about 60% of natural resources in the world and yet poor because of the non existence or inadequate quality human resources for creativity and innovativeness in order to derive the full benefit of the abundant resources.
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The NSA besides lacking financial resources to carry out its programs and activities, is faced with the greatest challenge of unprecedented staff attrition. Most of the staff of the NSA are either going on retirement and therefore are waiting till the time is due or are feverishly looking for a job elsewhere so that they can leave. Only last year, three officers of the authority left for strange reasons. The Acting Director General in charge of Administration, Mr Musah Abdullai left the NSA citing personal reasons as the cause for his exit. It is believed that this was as a result of lack of funds for his unit to be able to carry out key activities to bring the facility to shape. The Head of Estates, Mr Eric Nkansah went on retirement early this year and has since not been replaced.
The Regional Director of Sekondi, Mr Amui retired somewhere in May last year all effort to replace him has been futile. The Chief Accountant of the Authority has been transferred to the National Road Safety Commission with effect from 10th March by the Controller and Accountant General's Department without a replacement. Currently, it is his Deputy, Mr Anthony Avio, who is acting as the Chief Accountant of the NSA. Interestingly, Mr Avio would be going on retirement in September this year together with one other accounting officer named Mr Samuel Ampah. It is very important to explain that Mr Ampah is very hard working officer of the NSA. One of his duties as an accounting officer is to ensure that all revenue from sale of football match tickets are properly accounted for and the share of the clubs are duely paid to them whenever football matches are played at the Accra Sports Stadium. He has always discharged this duty with excellence. The NSA would miss his services after September this year.
Next year two other key accounting staff, Mr Ephraim and Mrs Florence would also be due for pension.
The Director General of the NSA, Mr Joe Kpenge would be due for pension in November next year. Mr Emmanuel Ntow an administrator of the authority is penciled and duely notified that he is also due for pension in September this year.
With a staff strength of 560 in all the regions across the country as at the end of 2010, high staff attrition has reduced the number to 320 averaging to about 35 employees leaving the NSA every year for better offers.
The ban on recruitment in the public sector is partly to be blamed for the current shortage of staff at the NSA.
The Ministry of Finance and Economic planning does not issue Financial Clearance to MDAs for staff they have recruited, even for staff replacement,which has created a huge difficulty for all MDAs thereby affecting the NSA. The Financial Clearance enables the Controller and Accountant General's Department to put the recruited staff on the IPPD.
Without the financial clearance, recruited staff of MDAs would not be put on the IPPD by the CAGD for salary payments. In fact the new directive is that MDAs must secure Financial Clearance from Mofep before embarking on any recruitment exercise.
Two members of staff who passed on last year (2016) and this year (2017) at the head office could not be replaced because of this same ban.
What is more worrying is that the few staff left are demoralized as a result of the extremely difficult conditions under which they work and are also feverishly looking for a job opening elsewhere. Analysts believe that the cummulative effect of years of neglect of the NSA by the Moys and for that matter previous governments is the main reason for the current predicament that the NSA and it's staff are going through.
As we speak the NSA bank account has been jointly garnished by Meridian Travel and Tours and Litina Travels and Tours. Electricity power to the NSA has been cut off for almost a year now and the only functioning bus of the NSA supporting the Federations have been seized by a court order issued in favour of Goshen Travel and Tours.
What is most disappointing is that, in the last ten years all the ministers seem to be bereft of ideas as to how to rescue the NSA from total collapse. 'They cannot think far'.
The fear is that sooner than later our various stadia are going to be desolate, a ghost town, without any single staff of NSA to manage the public property.
We pray and hope that Honorable Isaac Asiamah, the Minister for Youth and Sports, would place premium and priority on the issues affecting the NSA and would act with despatch to help alleviate the suffering of the State institution and it's staff. This would enable the NSA to take its rightful position in the sports fraternity and deliver on its mandate of sports promotion and development for our dear country.