Prez Mahama defends security service recruitment, says digital system was meant to stop favouritism

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President John Dramani Mahama has defended the recent recruitment process into Ghana’s security services, stating that digitalisation was introduced to curb favouritism and ensure fairness in the selection of applicants.

Speaking during an engagement with the Ghanaian community in Philadelphia on Thursday, March 26, the President said the use of technology was intended to address longstanding public concerns that recruitment into the security agencies was often influenced by personal connections.

There have been a lot of complaints that people get recruited based on who they know. This was an attempt to use digitalisation to sort through the first wave of applications. The computer doesn’t know who you are, he said.

According to President Mahama, the recruitment exercise attracted an overwhelming response from the public, reflecting both high interest in security service jobs and the broader employment challenges facing the country.

He disclosed that about 500,000 recruitment vouchers were sold, even though only around 5,000 positions were initially available.

The intent was in good faith, but the response was overwhelming. We held a meeting and decided to expand the recruitment, and all those who applied don’t need to pay again, he added.

The President acknowledged that the scale of applications created logistical and administrative challenges, but insisted that steps were being taken to improve transparency and equal opportunity in future recruitment exercises.

The recent security service recruitment has come under scrutiny, with critics questioning both the centralised system used by the Ministry of the Interior and the fairness of the process.Remove ads

Concerns have also been raised about the wide gap between the number of applicants and the limited number of available positions, highlighting growing unemployment pressures among Ghana’s youth.

President Mahama, however, maintained that the digital approach marked a significant step towards eliminating human interference and reducing the potential for bias in the recruitment process.

Meanwhile, the President also addressed developments surrounding Lincoln University in the United States, which recently withdrew plans to confer an honorary doctorate on him.

Despite the controversy, he stressed that the institution continues to hold deep historical significance for Ghana due to its association with the country’s first President, Dr Kwame Nkrumah.

Whatever disagreements have arisen, for me, Lincoln University holds a special place in my heart. It is where our first President, Dr Kwame Nkrumah, was nurtured intellectually and shaped in his Pan-Africanist struggle. It remains hallowed ground for Ghanaians and an integral part of our history, he said.