Ghana: Information on whether an attachment in the CDR or the CDO can be substituted for service in the National Service
| Publisher | Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada |
| Author | Research Directorate, Immigration and Refugee Board, Canada |
| Publication Date | 1 October 1993 |
| Citation / Document Symbol | GHA15665.E |
| Cite as | Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada, Ghana: Information on whether an attachment in the CDR or the CDO can be substituted for service in the National Service, 1 October 1993, GHA15665.E, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/3ae6aca174.html [accessed 19 May 2023] |
| Disclaimer | This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. |
According to a professor at Wayne State University in Detroit, Michigan, the National Service is still in force (28 Oct. 1993). It was originally limited to university students after graduation but later extended to Sixth-Form students, too (ibid.). The National Service office deploys all qualified students to different parts of the country (ibid.). The source also states that it is unlikely that a person can work with the Council for the Defence of the Revolution (CDR) or the Civil Defence Organization (CDO) as a substitute for work with the National Service (ibid.). According to the source, the idea of the National Service is for students to render service to communities and to acquaint themselves with the problems and needs of these communities (ibid.). National Service recruits are therefore sent largely to areas or sectors where there is labour shortage (ibid.).
For further information on the functions of the CDRs and the CDO and the qualifications for membership in these organizations, please refer to the November 1990 Questions and Answer Series document Ghana: What Are Committees for the Defence of the Revolution (CDRs) and the Civil Defence Organization (CDO) in Ghana? This document is available at your regional Documentation Centre.
This response was prepared after researching publicly accessible information currently available to the DIRB within time constraints. This response is not, and does not purport to be, conclusive as to the merit of any particular claim to refugee status or asylum.
Reference
Professor of political science, Wayne State University, Detroit, Michigan. 28 October 1993. Telephone interview.
