Dr. Kwasi Nyame-Baafi, a director of the Institute of Economic Research and Public Policy (IERPP), addresses the press
A stark disconnect between policy promise and implementation has been exposed in Ghana’s recent security recruitment exercise, with the Institute of Economic Research and Public Policy (IERPP) questioning the fate of over GH¢100 million collected from applicants amid a minimal job conversion rate.
Addressing a press conference at the Ghana International Press Centre on Tuesday, 17th March, 2026, under the theme “E-Merit Recruitment Saga: From Hope to Heartbreak,” Director of IERPP, Dr. Kwasi Nyame-Baafi, painted a troubling picture of a labour market under structural strain, where headline improvements mask deepening youth exclusion.
He noted that while Ghana’s overall unemployment rate declined marginally from 14.9 percent in 2023 to 13.6 percent in 2024, and further to 13.1 percent in the fourth quarter, the broader outlook remains fragile. According to him, youth unemployment continues to surge, standing at 22.5 percent among persons aged 15 to 35 and rising sharply to 32 percent among those between 15 and 24 years.
“Seven out of every ten unemployed persons in Ghana are young people,” he stated, adding that NEET rates—young people not in employment, education, or training, remain alarmingly high at 25.8 percent for ages 15 to 24 and 22.4 percent for ages 15 to 35.
Dr. Nyame-Baafi explained that urban unemployment, currently at 15.9 percent, significantly exceeds rural levels of 10.4 percent, reflecting what he described as “congestion and weak job absorption in growth centres.” He stressed that the situation is not cyclical but indicative of a deeper structural fragility within the economy.
Against this backdrop, he referenced the ambitious “Jobs for All” agenda advanced by the National Democratic Congress, which promised large-scale employment through initiatives such as a 24-hour economy, a $10 billion “Big Push,” and a $3 billion digital jobs programme. The policy framework, he said, represented a “contract of hope” with the Ghanaian youth.
However, he argued that the recent security recruitment exercise has exposed a sharp divergence between policy intent and actual outcomes.
“A system that was presented as inclusive, digital, and efficient instead revealed infrastructure inequality, technological failure, and institutional overreach,” he said.
He explained that the reliance on internet-based testing in a country with uneven digital access effectively excluded a significant number of applicants. Reports cited by the institute indicate that only about 20 percent of candidates were able to successfully navigate the process, raising serious concerns about fairness and accessibility.
More critically, Dr. Nyame-Baafi highlighted what he described as a troubling financial dimension to the exercise. With over 500,000 applicants each paying GH¢220, the total revenue generated amounted to approximately GH¢110 million. Yet, only 5,000 individuals were ultimately recruited.
“This represents a conversion rate of just one percent. In effect, about 495,000 applicants contributed nearly GH¢108.9 million without securing employment,” he added.
He pointed out that this translates to roughly GH¢22,000 collected per successful recruit, posing what he described as an unavoidable question: “Is this a recruitment exercise or a revenue model?”
The institute further situated the issue within the broader fiscal framework, noting that Internally Generated Funds under the Ministry of the Interior are projected to rise from GH¢678.3 million in 2024 to GH¢1.114 billion by 2026.
Within this context, Dr. Nyame-Baafi warned that high-volume, low-conversion recruitment exercises risk evolving into mechanisms for revenue mobilisation rather than genuine employment generation.
He argued that if such a model were scaled to meet a hypothetical target of 40,000 recruits at the same one percent conversion rate, it would require up to four million applicants and could generate as much as GH¢880 million—an outcome he described as both administratively unrealistic and socially regressive.
The IERPP also raised governance concerns surrounding the process, questioning why recruitment was centralised at the ministerial level rather than being handled by individual security agencies. It further queried the expansion of eligibility criteria despite limited absorption capacity, the imposition of non-refundable fees in a system with a 99 percent rejection rate, and the restriction of financial clearance to just 5,000 recruits despite reported vacancies exceeding 30,000.
“These inconsistencies point to policy incoherence and weak institutional alignment,” he said.
The institute is therefore calling for an independent probe into the recruitment exercise, including its financial flows, procurement arrangements, technological systems, and selection procedures.
“Transparency is not optional; it is foundational to restoring credibility,” Dr. Nyame-Baafi stressed.
Beyond the critique, he proposed a corrective pathway to address the fallout from the exercise. He recommended a structured, multi-year absorption plan targeting the approximately 470,000 unsuccessful applicants, anchored on skills mapping and sector-specific job matching.
He suggested that high-demand sectors such as healthcare, education, ICT, agriculture, and security be prioritised, with public-private partnerships leveraged to expand employment capacity. He also called for the introduction of bridging programmes to equip applicants with job-ready skills within three to six months.
Crucially, the institute advocated for a shift towards a merit-based, transparent, and non-fee recruitment model, supported by a National Youth Employment Taskforce with clearly defined accountability mechanisms.
“The policy choice before Ghana is clear. We can either monetise unemployment or systematically reduce it. One extracts value from desperation; the other builds value through productivity. Only one is sustainable,” he further stated.
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