The Minority in Parliament has called on the government to immediately refund an estimated GH¢113 million collected from applicants who were disqualified in the ongoing recruitment process into Ghana’s security services.

According to the caucus, the recruitment exercise has left hundreds of thousands of applicants frustrated after many were disqualified despite paying mandatory application processing fees.

Addressing the issue, the Minority argued that it would be unfair and exploitative for the state to retain the funds of applicants who were not given a fair opportunity to progress through the recruitment process.

The recruitment exercise, which covers the Ghana Police Service, Ghana Immigration Service, Ghana National Fire Service, and Ghana Prisons Service, attracted an overwhelming number of applicants following the government’s announcement of openings in the security sector.

However, the Minority claims that a large number of applicants were disqualified during the initial stages of the process after paying application fees, raising concerns about transparency and fairness.

The caucus estimates that the government has collected about GH¢113 million from applicants who were subsequently disqualified, a situation it says raises serious ethical and governance questions.

“It is unacceptable for the government to profit from the desperation of unemployed Ghanaian youth,” the Minority said, insisting that applicants who were disqualified should be reimbursed.

They further argued that the scale of disqualifications suggests that the recruitment exercise may have been poorly designed or improperly managed.

According to the Minority, many applicants who met the basic qualifications were reportedly eliminated early in the process without clear explanations.

The caucus therefore urged the government to conduct a full review of the recruitment exercise and publish detailed information on the number of applicants, the criteria used for disqualification, and the exact amount collected from applicants.

They stressed that refunding the money would demonstrate good faith and restore public confidence in the recruitment process.

The Minority also called on the Ministry of the Interior (Ghana), which oversees the security services, to ensure greater transparency and accountability in future recruitment exercises.

The controversy comes at a time when unemployment remains a major concern for many young people across the country, with thousands seeking opportunities within the security services as a pathway to stable employment.

The Minority warned that failure to address the concerns surrounding the recruitment process could further deepen public distrust in government-led recruitment programmes.

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