President John Mahama has appointed a presidential staffer Dr. Michael Whyte Kpessa, to stand in as Executive Director of the National Service Scheme currently rocked by a Gh₵7.9million scandal.

The announcement has been expected after the Scheme's Executive Director Alhaji Imoro Alhassan was directed to step aside to allow unimpeded investigations into the alleged payroll fraud in the scheme.

A total of Ghȼ7.9 million was said to have been paid in July 2014 to some 22,000 service persons across 100 districts who cannot be traced.

While investigations by the BNI have began in earnest, the appointment of the former university lecturer is expected to bring some much needed leadership and stability to the organization saddled with bad press that may not end any time soon.

Dr. Kpessa has a background in Governance, Institutional Design, Social Policy & Public Administration and  is a member of the Policy Team at the Presidency

He will be the third of scandal -inspired appointments after Kobby Acheampong was also appointed in October 2013 to steer another beleaguered organization, Ghana Youth Employment and Entrepreneurial Development Agency (GYEEDA).

Kobby Acheampong

Completing the hat-trick is the appointment of Mr. Charles Akelyira Abugre as the Acting Chief Executive Officer for the Savannah Accelerated Development Authority, (SADA), another hotspot of mismanagement and malfeasance.

New SADA boss

The National Service Scheme was established under the Ghana National Service Scheme Act of 1980, Act 426, which replaced NRCD 208 of 1973. Under the new Act, National Service Personnel (NSP) who are graduates from tertiary institutions are required to render a mandatory service for a period of  one year.