By Ashiadey Dotse
The Minority Leader in Parliament, Alexander Afenyo-Markin, has called on the government to scrap the use of artificial intelligence-based aptitude tests in the ongoing recruitment into Ghana’s security services.
According to him, several applicants have complained about difficulties with the online testing system, which has led to many of them being disqualified during the recruitment process.
Speaking on the floor of Parliament of Ghana on Tuesday, March 10, 2026, Mr. Afenyo-Markin said the current system makes it difficult for applicants who have limited knowledge of information technology to take part in the recruitment process.
He suggested that the authorities should allow applicants to write the aptitude test manually, similar to what was previously done by the military.
“Mr. Speaker, the military did something good. They created a system that allowed people to take the aptitude test directly. If it is possible, the system should be changed to enable our boys and girls who are not educated in ICT to write it manually,” he said.
Mr. Afenyo-Markin explained that many applicants from rural communities struggle to navigate the online testing platform.
He noted that it is unfair to expect people from communities such as Pusiga or Bunkurugu, who may have little knowledge of digital technology, to take the test using artificial intelligence systems.
“I am for AI. I am for IT. But you cannot suddenly call someone from Pusiga or Bunkurugu who knows nothing about IT and ask them to write an aptitude test using AI. If they don’t have the means, they fail,” he added.
The Minority Leader stressed that the issue should not be politicised but rather addressed as a system challenge that needs urgent attention from the relevant authorities.
He also pointed out that many applicants are forced to spend money at internet cafés to complete the test, only to encounter technical problems that prevent them from finishing.
Mr. Afenyo-Markin therefore appealed to the government to review the current recruitment system to ensure that the process remains fair and accessible to all qualified applicants seeking to join Ghana’s security services.
