Former Defence Minister and Bimbilla MP, Dominic Nitiwul, has argued that the government could have recruited up to 15,000 personnel into the security services each year to help tackle rising youth unemployment.
Speaking in an interview on Asempa FM’s Ekosii Sen show, he acknowledged recent efforts to increase recruitment but described them as inadequate in addressing the scale of joblessness among young people.
According to him, more than 500,000 youth are seeking entry into the security services due to deeper economic challenges and limited job opportunities.
Mr. Nitiwul noted that based on annual retirements and existing vacancies, the government had the capacity to recruit more personnel each year but failed to do so.
He also raised concerns about the high medical screening fees charged to applicants, suggesting the cost be reduced from GH¢1,600 to about GH¢500, especially since only a small percentage of applicants are eventually selected.
“If you examine the annual retirements within the security services alongside the existing vacancies, it becomes clear that the government could have hired 15,000 personnel each year. While increasing the hiring target to 10,000 is a positive step, the president has allocated funds to the Interior Ministry to support this increase, which should come with adequate resources.
“Additionally, the medical fees currently set at GH¢1,600 should be reduced to GH¢500. Given that only about 10% of applicants are selected, it does not make sense to charge such a high amount for medical exams when the majority will not be chosen,” he said.
Meanwhile, John Dramani Mahama has directed an increase in security recruitment from 20,000 to 40,000 over the next four years following consultations with security chiefs and relevant ministers.
Mr. Nitiwul stressed that while the increment is a step in the right direction, it must be backed by adequate resources to ensure effective recruitment and training.
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