The Minority in Parliament has demanded the immediate suspension of the ongoing recruitment exercise into Ghana’s security services, warning that the process in its current form risks exploiting desperate job-seeking youth and could undermine public confidence in state institutions.

Addressing the House, Minority Leader Alexander Afenyo-Markin said on Friday that the overwhelming number of applicants, estimated to exceed 500,000 young people, reflects deep unemployment pressures and creates a volatile situation that must be handled with transparency and fairness.

He cautioned that failure to address concerns surrounding the recruitment process could pose broader risks to social stability and democratic governance.

Call for immediate suspension

Mr. Afenyo-Markin urged authorities to halt the exercise until all grievances and operational challenges are resolved, insisting that continuing under questionable conditions would only deepen frustration among applicants.

“Can the recruitment process be suspended so that these concerns are properly ironed out? The system that has been introduced, for want of a better word, is duping the youth. The youth are being duped. It is like a scam.”

According to him, thousands of young Ghanaians have invested time, effort and money in the application process, only to encounter what he described as opaque procedures and questionable assessment methods.

A major point of contention raised by the Minority Leader was the use of an artificial intelligence–driven platform to screen candidates for various security agencies, including immigration services.

He questioned both the relevance and fairness of the questions reportedly posed to applicants through the digital system.

“How can you introduce a so-called AI platform where you want to go to Immigration and it asks you what the size of a basketball court is?” he asked, drawing murmurs in the chamber.

Critics argue that such questions bear little relation to the competencies required for security work and may unfairly disadvantage otherwise qualified candidates.

Analysts say the massive response to the recruitment exercise highlights the scale of youth unemployment in the country, where public sector security jobs are often seen as among the few stable employment opportunities offering steady income, housing benefits and pensions.

In recent years, recruitment into the military, police, immigration, prisons and fire services has routinely attracted hundreds of thousands of applicants for relatively limited vacancies.

Labour experts warn that poorly managed recruitment drives can fuel disillusionment, especially when candidates perceive the process as opaque or politicised.

The Minority Leader further suggested that the sheer volume of hopeful applicants, many of whom may feel aggrieved if rejected under controversial circumstances, could have unintended security implications.

He stressed that young people facing prolonged unemployment are particularly vulnerable to frustration and manipulation.

Parliamentarians on both sides of the aisle have previously acknowledged that youth unemployment remains one of the country’s most pressing socio-economic challenges.