The Majority in Parliament has rejected calls by the Minority for a refund of GH¢113 million paid by applicants who were later disqualified during the ongoing recruitment exercise into Ghana’s security services.
The issue was raised during proceedings on the floor of Parliament on Monday, March 16, where Majority Leader Mahama Ayariga argued that the demand for a refund was misplaced and failed to address the broader challenge of unemployment facing many young people in the country.
According to him, the focus of national discussions should shift from the refund debate to finding sustainable ways of creating employment opportunities for the youth.
“You cannot be discussing refunds now. Let us discuss how we can fix the economy so that jobs can be created for these young people. How can the money be refunded? The young ones are looking for jobs, not the money,” he stated.
The Majority caucus further maintained that the call for a refund lacked justification, noting that similar payments made by applicants who were disqualified in recruitment exercises during the administration of Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo were not returned.
Defending the current recruitment process, Ayariga explained that the decision to allow about 500,000 applicants to compete for roughly 5,000 available slots was intended to ensure fairness and transparency.
He insisted that the government could have opted for a different approach but deliberately chose a process that would give every qualified Ghanaian youth an opportunity.
“What we are doing is giving every young person a fair opportunity. We could have simply gone and selected our foot soldiers and given them the jobs the same way the NPP did, but we are not doing that,” he said.
The Majority Leader also pointed out that the large number of applicants highlights the severity of youth unemployment in the country, stressing the need for broader economic reforms aimed at strengthening the private sector and expanding job opportunities.
However, the Minority Leader, Alexander Afenyo-Markin, criticised the position taken by the Majority, arguing that it contradicts the government’s much-publicised reset agenda.
According to him, the refusal to consider refunding the money paid by disqualified applicants raises questions about the government’s commitment to fairness and accountability in the recruitment process.
