The Majority in Parliament has rejected calls by the Minority for a refund of GH¢113 million paid by applicants who were disqualified in the ongoing recruitment exercise into the country’s security services.
According to the Majority caucus, similar fees paid by applicants who were disqualified during recruitment exercises under the administration of Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo were not refunded.
Speaking on the floor of Parliament on Monday, March 16, the Majority Leader, Mahama Ayariga, described the Minority’s demand as unfounded, stressing that attention should rather be focused on addressing unemployment among the youth.
“You cannot be discussing refunds now. Let us discuss how we can fix the economy so that jobs can be created for these young people. How can the money be refunded? The young ones are looking for jobs, not the money,” he stated.
Mr. Ayariga further defended the government’s decision to allow about 500,000 applicants to compete for roughly 5,000 available positions, explaining that the approach was intended to ensure fairness and equal opportunity in the recruitment process.
“What we are doing is giving every young person a fair opportunity. We could have simply gone and selected our foot soldiers and given them the jobs the same way the NPP did, but we are not doing that,” he said.
He added that the large number of applicants highlights the scale of unemployment in the country and underscores the need for broader economic reforms to create sustainable jobs for the youth. He also assured that the government remains committed to revitalising the private sector to generate more employment opportunities.
However, the Minority Leader, Alexander Afenyo-Markin, argued that the Majority’s defence undermines the government’s much-touted reset agenda.
