President John Dramani Mahama has rejected claims that the recent recruitment into the security services was influenced by favoritism, asserting that digital systems were implemented to guarantee fairness and transparency.
During an engagement with the Ghanaian community in Philadelphia on Thursday, March 26, President Mahama stated that the introduction of technology into the recruitment process was intended to tackle long-standing issues regarding bias in public sector hiring.
“There have been numerous complaints that individuals are recruited based on personal connections. This initiative aimed to utilize digitalization to filter through the initial wave of applications. The computer does not recognize your identity,” he remarked.
He acknowledged, however, that the initiative attracted an unexpectedly high number of applicants, far surpassing initial estimates. He mentioned that approximately 500,000 vouchers were sold, although only 5,000 applicants were initially taken into consideration.
“The intention was sincere, but the response was overwhelming. We convened a meeting and decided to broaden the recruitment, and all those who applied will not need to pay again,” he added.
President Mahama assured that additional measures would be implemented to enhance transparency and equal opportunity in future recruitment processes within the security services.
The process has recently faced scrutiny, with concerns raised regarding both its scale and fairness. While over 500,000 individuals applied, only about 5,000 positions were available, highlighting increasing unemployment pressures.
Critics have also raised concerns about the centralized system employed by the Ministry of the Interior, arguing that it may have impacted transparency and accessibility during the recruitment process.
