The flagbearer of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), John Dramani Mahama, has pledged to increase the recruitment rate of public security personnel as part of his plan to implement a 24-hour economy.
During his ‘Building Ghana Tour’ at the Beneba Market Square in Zebilla in the Upper East Region, Mahama highlighted the importance of a fair and transparent recruitment process. He assured that under his leadership, recruitment opportunities will be distributed equitably across all regions.
This announcement comes amidst concerns raised by the Minority, who have criticized the current recruitment exercise, labelling it as secretive and biased. They have accused members of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), including parliamentary candidates, of manipulating the process to favour their loyalists.
Mahama emphasized that the success of a 24-hour economy hinges on robust security measures. He pointed out that Ghana’s current police force of nearly 30,000 officers is insufficient for a population of almost 30 million. To address this, he plans to significantly boost the numbers in the police, security, and military services.
He also assured young Ghanaians that they would have ample opportunities to join the security services under a fair and transparent recruitment process, unlike the alleged secretive practices of the NPP.
“When we come, we’re going to give incentives to Ghanaian businesses, to work longer hours so that they can employ Ghanaian youth to be able to find jobs.
“The 24-hour economy will require security and safety. Currently, Ghana has about almost 30,000 police officers for almost 30, million people. So, it means that we need to employ more police, security and military officers in the security services.
“A lot of you young people will have the opportunity to enter the security services. Because we’re not going to hide and do secret recruitment like the NPP is doing.
“We’re going to come region by region so that all of you will get an opportunity to be recruited into the security services,” Mahama pledged.