By Amoako Kwame
The Member of Parliament for Akim Oda, Alexander Akwasi Acquah has criticized government for giving citizens false hope on being recruited to be part of Ghana’s security services.
The demand follows revelations from Interior Minister Mubarak Mohammed Muntaka that nearly 500,000 individuals applied for fewer than 5,000 available slots across agencies including the Ghana Police Service, Immigration Service, and National Fire Service.
Speaking on GTV Breakfast Show, Member of Parliament for Akim Oda Alexander Akwasi Acquah, criticized government’s approach, stating that the youth are often drawn to these roles not by choice, but due to a worsening unemployment crisis.
“Government gave citizens false hope, with policies suggesting there was space for them in the security service leading to a massive over-subscription for a limited number of positions,” He said.
The legislator also said “Money should be refunded to the remaining applicants who couldn’t be accepted into any of the security services.”
The Minority labeled the exercise a “Ponzi scheme” and a “criminally crafted” process designed to exploit unemployed youth, further citing technical glitches in the aptitude tests that unfairly knocked out candidates.
However, the Majority in Parliament has swiftly rejected the calls for a refund, describing the demand as “unfounded”. Majority Leader Mahama Ayariga argued that similar fees were paid under previous administrations and never refunded.
The Majority maintains that the focus should remain on broader economic reforms to create sustainable private-sector jobs rather than refunding application fees.
There has been calls for an independent investigation beyond the refund, the Minority is calling for an independent bipartisan parliamentary investigation into the recruitment process to ensure transparency and review the “problematic” nature of the aptitude tests used to disqualify candidates. The Convention People’s Party (CPP) has also joined the call, threatening legal action if the funds are not returned to the applicants.
