Anti-corruption campaigner Vitus Azeem has issued strong warnings about the integrity of the ongoing nationwide recruitment exercise for Ghana’s security agencies, arguing that high application fees and pervasive protocol allocations threaten to undermine the credibility of the entire process.
His concerns spotlighted the public frustration surrounding the Ghana Police Service, Ghana Prisons Service, Ghana National Fire Service, Ghana Immigration Service, and the Ghana Armed Forces recruitment, especially at a time when President John Dramani Mahama’s government is seeking to strengthen Ghana’s internal security framework through expanded personnel intake.
The Ministry of the Interior opened the recruitment portal from November 15 to December 15, describing the initiative as “a strategic effort to reinforce public safety,” by attracting disciplined and patriotic citizens.
However, Mr. Azeem argued that fairness and transparency were already being eroded, beginning with what he sees as an unjustifiable GHS 200 application fee. He stressed that the cost “burdens unemployed youth who are already struggling to secure work, creating a barrier for applicants who may otherwise qualify on merit.”
“You wonder whether this is a tax on the unemployed. I’m coming to look for a job, and I have to pay GhS 200 just to fill the form when my chances of getting the job are very slim”
Vitus Azeem, Anti-Corruption Campaigner
His remarks highlighted the public perception that recruitment fees have become an unnecessary financial hurdle rather than a functional necessity.
Application Model
His criticism focused on the online application model, which he believes should significantly reduce administrative costs rather than inflate them. He challenged the rationale behind charging such a high fee for a process that relies on digital forms hosted on pre-existing agency websites.
Mr. Azeem recalled that the fee was previously GHS 100, and although concerns were raised years ago, he said nothing changed because the issue did not affect those in positions of power, emphasising that the agencies involved already have established online platforms capable of hosting the recruitment forms without requiring such high fees from thousands of applicants.
“Parliament has been very quiet because it doesn’t affect them,” he said, illustrating his point by referencing the sheer revenue generated from the exercise.
“These agencies already have websites. You simply upload the forms, and applicants complete them. If you are talking about 60,000 applicants paying 200 cedis each, that’s about 12 million cedis. Do you need that much just to run a portal?”
Vitus Azeem, Anti-Corruption Campaigner
In explaining the scale of revenue collected from applicants, and questioning whether the millions generated from applicants were truly required for portal maintenance, Mr. Azeem pushed further, asking whether the cost had just become another barrier to employment.
Protocol Recruitment
Beyond the controversy over fees, Mr. Azeem described protocol recruitment as the most troubling aspect of the exercise.
He argued that political influence and privileged access distort merit-based selection, leaving qualified applicants sidelined while those with access to protocol channels bypass competitive screening.
According to him, protocol allocations cast a long shadow over the recruitment process, diminishing trust and rendering the exercise performative rather than substantive.
“They make it look open and transparent, but protocol allocation mars everything. Virtually everybody who matters in government has protocol slots. So, after people struggle to apply, those selected are not necessarily the best qualified. Protocol has become the only way to get a job in this country”
Vitus Azeem, Anti-Corruption Campaigner
He questioned how such selections could possibly be fair when parliamentarians and influential figures are granted multiple slots from the various security agencies.
He argued that the distribution of protocol allocations lacks transparency, thereby placing undue influence in the hands of political actors and undermining public confidence in the recruitment system.
Mr. Azeem concluded by calling for a rigorous and uncompromising screening process across all security agencies to eliminate unqualified applicants who attempt to exploit systemic weaknesses.
He stressed that strengthening screening procedures would reduce inflated body counts at the early stages of selection, ensuring that only the most capable candidates advance.
Without meaningful reforms, he warned, recruitment processes will continue to attract public suspicion and fail to support the country’s larger goal of fortifying national security under the current administration.
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