Akosua Asaa Manu, Special Aide to former Vice President Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, has alleged that some applicants seeking recruitment into Ghana’s security services are paying large sums of money through unofficial channels to secure placement.
According to Ms Manu, some individuals are reportedly paying between GH¢40,000 and GH¢50,000 as “protocol fees” in an attempt to gain access to the security services.
She made the claim while commenting on the ongoing recruitment process in an interview on Asempa FM’s Ekosii Sen show, noting that the exercise attracted about 500,000 applicants competing for only roughly 5,000 available slots.
Ms Manu expressed concern about what she described as the politicisation of the security services, observing that many young people now view enlistment as the primary solution to their economic challenges.
She argued that the large sums reportedly being paid for protocol access could instead help young people start businesses, but desperation for employment has driven some to pursue recruitment at any cost.
“I wanted to say I pity the government, but I don’t think they deserve my sympathy because everything has been politicized on several fronts. They promised the youth jobs. 500,000 people applied for a space where only 5,000 will be picked. These 500,000 were taxed; the application wasn’t free. My shock to hear was that some paid 50,000 Ghana cedis and 40,000 Ghana cedis for protocol access to the security services.
That money could start a person’s business, but you can see the hopelessness because that’s what they want. We have politicised the security services to make it seem like once you get there, all your problems are solved. If the forms are what they get money from, then it was a way to tax young people for money because the forms were not free. The more people applied, the more they got money. What are they using it for?” she said.
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