The Minister for the Interior has revealed that approximately 25,000 young people who were offered opportunities to assist Ghana’s security agencies did not turn up for scheduled interviews.

The initiative was designed to create temporary employment for young applicants who were unable to secure places in the limited recruitment slots within the country’s security services.

The programme was organised in collaboration with the Youth Employment Agency to provide support roles within the Ghana Police Service, the Ghana National Fire Service, and the Ghana Prisons Service.

It was intended to absorb a portion of the thousands of young people who regularly apply for enlistment into the security sector but are unable to secure positions due to limited vacancies.

Under the arrangement, about 15,000 young people were expected to assist the Ghana Police Service, while 5,000 each were to support the Fire Service and the Prisons Service.

The programme also included plans to recruit additional personnel to assist the National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO) across districts.

However, speaking on Citi FM on Wednesday, March 11, Interior Minister Mubarak Mohammed Muntaka disclosed that none of the shortlisted applicants turned up for the interviews.

“Other opportunities have been created under the same Ministry of the Interior. For instance, under the police, fire, and prison assistance programmes, 25,000 youth were engaged together with the Youth Employment Agency. Fifteen thousand were meant to support the police, five thousand to support the fire service, and five thousand to support the prisons, yet not one person attended the interview,” he said.

The minister acknowledged the frustration among many young people seeking employment in the security services but urged them to remain patient as the government works to stabilise the economy and expand job opportunities.

He added that the ongoing recruitment exercise represents only the first phase and assured applicants that their details would be retained for consideration in future enlistment rounds when more vacancies become available.