The Minority in Parliament has called for an independent investigation into the recent security services recruitment exercise, describing it as a scheme that has allegedly exploited more than 500,000 Ghanaian youth seeking employment.
Hon. John Ntim Fodjour, Member of Parliament for Assin South and Ranking Member on Parliament’s Defence and Interior Committee, raised the concerns while addressing the Parliamentary Press in Accra.
According to him, the recruitment exercise conducted by the Ministry of the Interior placed an unfair financial burden on thousands of unemployed young people who paid GH¢220 each for application forms, despite the limited number of available positions.
He argued that the process generated over GH¢100 million from applicants, even though only about 5,000 slots were available across the security services.
Hon. Fodjour further criticized the government’s decision to increase the recruitment age limit from 25 to 35 years, describing it as misleading and a tactic that encouraged more unemployed youth to apply.
“The decision to extend the recruitment age limit gave false hope to many young Ghanaians who are desperately searching for jobs. Over 500,000 people applied, yet the available positions were only about 5,000,” he stated.
The Assin South MP described the recruitment process as unfair and exploitative, insisting that the government appeared more interested in generating revenue from application fees than providing genuine employment opportunities.
He is therefore demanding an independent bipartisan probe into the recruitment exercise to ensure transparency and accountability.
Hon. Fodjour also called on the government to refund the application fees to applicants who were unsuccessful or disqualified, noting that many young people invested their last resources in hopes of securing employment.
The recruitment exercise has also been overshadowed by reports of online scams, including fake social media accounts and fraudulent recruitment messages targeting unsuspecting applicants.
In response, the Cyber Security Authority has cautioned the public to remain vigilant and verify recruitment information only through official government channels.
The Minority insists that a thorough investigation is necessary to restore public trust in the recruitment processes of Ghana’s security services and to protect vulnerable job seekers from exploitation.
