Albert Kwabena Dwumfour, President of the Ghana Journalists Association (GJA), has called on successive governments to abolish the practice of selling recruitment forms to applicants seeking entry into the country’s security services, describing it as exploitative and unfair.
Addressing the press on Wednesday, March 18, GJA argued that compelling thousands of young people to purchase forms without any guarantee of employment places an unnecessary financial burden on applicants.
“Going forward, successive governments must do away with the practice of compelling individuals who wish to serve in the security agencies to purchase forms that do not guarantee employment, especially given the overwhelming number of applicants,” he stated.
He further raised concerns about the growing politicisation of recruitment into the security services, warning that such practices undermine professionalism and weaken public confidence in state institutions.
“The GJA is also calling for the depoliticisation of recruitment into the various security establishments. This trend does not augur well for services that owe allegiance to the state, not to any political party or government,” he added, urging public officials to desist from what he described as unpatriotic conduct.
Kwabena Dwumfour also stressed the need for reforms to ensure that recruitment processes are transparent, merit-based, and efficient, particularly as technology becomes more integrated into selection systems.
“The Association further urges authorities to ensure that recruitment processes are fair, transparent, and efficient. The increasing use of Artificial Intelligence and digital tools must be carefully monitored to avoid bias or unintended exclusion of qualified applicants,” he noted.
His remarks come amid mounting concerns over the scale of competition for limited security service positions, with reports indicating that more than 500,000 applicants are vying for roughly 5,000 slots, intensifying calls for reforms in the recruitment process.
