The Minority in Parliament has sharply criticised the ongoing recruitment exercise into Ghana’s security services, describing the process as a “Ponzi
The Minority in Parliament has sharply criticised the ongoing recruitment exercise into Ghana’s security services, describing the process as a “Ponzi scheme” allegedly designed to exploit unemployed youth across the country.
The opposition lawmakers are now demanding greater transparency from the government and calling for the refund of millions of cedis collected from applicants who have been disqualified.
Addressing a press conference in Accra on Thursday, March 12, the Ranking Member on Parliament’s Defence and Interior Committee, John Ntim Fordjour, argued that the structure of the recruitment exercise appears deliberately designed to attract a large number of applicants despite the limited number of available spots.
“Without a doubt, the structure of this recruitment exercise is akin to a Ponzi scheme, criminally crafted to defraud over 500,000 innocent unemployed Ghanaians,” the Assin South Member of Parliament said.
His remarks follow disclosures by the Minister for the Interior, Mohammed Muntaka Mubarak, that nearly 500,000 young people submitted applications for recruitment into Ghana’s security services even though financial clearance exists for only about 5,000 positions.
The recruitment exercise, which covers agencies under the Interior Ministry including the Ghana Police Service, Ghana Immigration Service, Ghana National Fire Service, and the Ghana Prisons Service, has attracted unprecedented interest from young people seeking employment due to limited opportunities to absorb the teeming unemployed youth.
According to information released by the ministry, more than 506,000 applicants responded to the recruitment announcement, raising expectations among many unemployed youth who viewed the process as an opportunity to secure stable careers in the security sector.
However, the recruitment process has already seen hundreds of thousands of applicants disqualified after the aptitude test stage, triggering widespread disappointment and frustration among job seekers across the country.
Rev. Fordjour said many of the applicants had applied in good faith after hearing repeated assurances during the political campaign period that the recruitment exercise would create employment opportunities for young people.
“These young men and women, full of hope and patriotism, believed they were being offered a genuine opportunity to serve their country while securing a dignified livelihood,” he stated.
He argued that the subsequent revelation by the Interior Minister that only 5,000 recruits would eventually be selected from the massive pool of applicants had left many of them feeling misled and exploited.
“This revelation has left hundreds of thousands of hopeful applicants devastated, disillusioned, and feeling exploited,” he added.
The Minority also questioned why the government would allow such a large number of applicants to participate in the process if the number of available positions was so limited.
“If the government intended to recruit only 5,000 personnel, as the Interior Minister disclosed, why lure over 506,000 unsuspecting young people into this process?” Rev. Fordjour asked.
Beyond the limited recruitment slots, the opposition lawmaker also criticised the government’s decision to increase the age limit for applicants from 25 years to 35 years, describing the policy change as misleading.
According to him, the adjustment created the impression that the government intended to recruit significantly more personnel, which contributed to the exceptionally high number of applications received.
“You promised them jobs without attaching clear conditions, and then you politically expanded the age limit from twenty-five to thirty-five, creating the impression that there was more room and access to opportunities,” he said.
The Minority further alleged that the recruitment process generated substantial revenue from application fees paid by the hundreds of thousands of applicants.
According to Rev. Fordjour, if each applicant paid the required fee, the exercise could have generated more than GH¢113 million for authorities.
Based on this calculation, the Minority is demanding that the government refund the monies collected from applicants who did not progress in the recruitment process.
He also claimed that some candidates were unfairly disqualified due to technological and internet challenges encountered during the aptitude testing stage, raising concerns about the integrity and fairness of the selection process.
Describing the situation as deeply troubling, Fordjour urged the government to take immediate steps to ensure transparency in the ongoing recruitment exercise and protect young people from what he described as financial exploitation.
He further called for reforms to ensure that future recruitment processes are conducted in a manner that does not create unrealistic expectations among unemployed youth.
The government has yet to formally respond to the Minority’s demand for refunds, but officials from the Interior Ministry have previously defended the recruitment process as transparent and merit-based.
The ongoing recruitment exercise has become one of the most talked-about public sector employment processes in recent years, reflecting both the intense demand for jobs among the youth and the growing national debate about transparency and fairness in public sector recruitment.
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