The NDC Parliamentary Minority has criticized the recruitment process into the security services under the Ministry of the Interior, calling it opaque and unfair.
They claim that the ministry’s justification for the recruitment, citing a “backlog”, is baseless and not supported by any records.
The minority has taken issue with the advertisements published in newspapers on August 7, 2024, and argues that the process creates unequal opportunities for certain individuals.
The Minority had previously filed a petition with the Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ) to investigate allegations of unfair recruitment practices in the security services, citing a supposed “backlog” as the reason.
Now, the recent advertisements for recruitment into the security services under the Interior Ministry have sparked further concerns, as they appear to reinforce the unequal and unfair recruitment process that the Minority had initially complained about.
“Whilst the CHRAJ was seized with the Minority’s petition, it came to the Minority as a surprise that the security services, under the Ministry of the Interior, namely- the Ghana Police Service, the Ghana National Fire Service, Ghana Prisons Service and the Ghana Immigration Service- had all placed open advertisements, which restrict the 2024 recruitment process to only persons who applied in 2021, at a time the legality of recruiting from a purported backlog was the subject of a petition before CHRAJ,” the statement said.
“These ads were an attempt to stampede the CHRAJ in its investigations and to mislead Ghanaians into believing that the right thing is finally being done.”
The Minority warns that if the Government is allowed to continue with its selective recruitment process, it will pose a threat to the country’s peace, security, and democratic stability.
“The Minority hereby calls on the National Peace Council, the Christian Council of Ghana, the Office of the National Chief Imam, our development partners, civil society organisations and all lovers of peace to speak out before it is too late,” the statement said.
The Minority is urging for a fair and inclusive recruitment process in the security services, including the Ghana Armed Forces, where everyone has an equal chance to participate and contribute, regardless of their background or affiliations.
The NDC Minority emphasized that they support the recruitment of young people into the security services, but stressed that their goal is to “guarantee equal access and opportunity for all regardless of one’s gender, ethnicity, religion or creed when it comes to recruitment into the security services.”
