The Member of Parliament for Manhyia South, Nana Agyei Baffour Awuah, has suggested that the current administration may have unintentionally created unrealistic expectations among young people regarding employment opportunities. According to him, the way government initiatives were communicated may have led many job-seeking youth to believe that large-scale employment opportunities, particularly within the security services, would quickly materialise.
Speaking on JoyNews’ AM Show, the legislator indicated that the government’s flagship 24-hour economy policy was not originally designed to include the security sector, yet many young people appeared to associate the policy with ongoing security service recruitment. He noted that after reviewing the National Democratic Congress (NDC)’s policy documents on the 24-hour economy, he did not find a clear connection between the policy and recruitment into security agencies.
The 24-hour economy was one of the NDC’s key campaign promises ahead of the 2024 general elections, aimed at boosting productivity and creating jobs by encouraging businesses and public institutions to operate in multiple shifts. However, the MP believes that the broader public perception created the impression that the initiative would lead to widespread employment opportunities within government security institutions.
This expectation was further heightened by a manifesto pledge to increase the recruitment age limit for security services from 25 to 35 years, a move that many youth interpreted as a signal of massive recruitment into the sector.
Mr. Baffour Awuah emphasized that while employment creation remains a critical priority for any government, policy communication must be clear to prevent misunderstandings that could raise hopes beyond what programmes can realistically deliver.
By Tanko A Ibrahim
Source: MyJoyOnline
