In droves
Ghana’s interior minister, Henry Quartey, revealed that nearly 90,000 individuals applied to join Ghana’s security services after the…
Ghana’s interior minister, Henry Quartey, revealed that nearly 90,000 individuals applied to join Ghana’s security services after the recruitment portals closed on 13 August 2024. The recruitment drive, announced by the Ghana Police Service, Ghana Prisons Service, and Ghana Immigration Service on 7 August 2024, attracted many applicants who had previously expressed interest in joining these services in 2021. Mr Quartey noted that only about 12,000 new positions are available across the security services, as approved by Parliament. He emphasised the need for rigorous selection criteria to choose qualified candidates from the large pool of applicants.
The surge in applicants to Ghana’s security services starkly underscores the country’s escalating youth unemployment crisis. According to Ghana’s Statistical Service, the youth unemployment rate is approaching 20%, with approximately two million young people not engaged in education, employment or training. This situation is exacerbated by the widespread belief that the incumbent government intentionally delayed recruitment into the security services, allegedly to capitalise on the electoral season by ramping up recruitment and thereby scoring political points. With less than six months before the highly anticipated 2024 presidential and parliamentary elections, Ghana stands at a critical juncture. The electorate will choose between the current Vice President, Dr Mahamudu Bawumia of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), and former President John Dramani Mahama of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), who is notable as the only president in Ghana’s Fourth Republic to have lost an election after his first term. The 2024 presidential election is poised to be fiercely contested, with the country’s economic landscape, particularly job creation for the youth, likely to dominate the agenda.