The Minister for Local Government, Chieftaincy, and Regional Affairs, Hon. Ahmed Ibrahim, has appealed to a large contingent of protesting unemployed Environmental Health Officers and Assistants to “exercise patience,” assuring them that their urgent demands for postings and formal employment are being addressed through future fiscal planning, specifically hinting at resources becoming available in the 2026 budget.
The Minister’s response came as the frustrated officers, including graduates from the School of Hygiene, concluded a major street protest aimed at the seat of government, challenging what they described as five long years of sustained neglect by the state despite their vital role in public health delivery.
“To go to school and stay in the house for five good years. And no other institution can take you if not here. If we don’t take it seriously, I don’t think anybody can take it seriously”
Hon. Ahmed Ibrahim, Minister for Local Government, Chieftaincy, and Regional Affairs
Receiving the petition, Hon. Ahmed Ibrahim sought to balance expressions of empathy with the practical constraints facing the government.
He expressed deep personal concern for the thousands of young professionals who have been forced to remain at home after completing specialized training, noting that the nature of their field – Environmental Health – leaves them with few employment options outside the public sector.
Hon. Ibrahim, acknowledging the crisis, stated that the petition handed over by the officers was set to “ignite” the necessary budgetary action, providing the clearest indication yet of the government’s timeline for resolving the crippling unemployment crisis within the sector.
Crucially, he positioned the government’s inaction as a delay rather than an abandonment of the group, tying a resolution directly to the allocation of funds in the upcoming fiscal plan. The Minister also reinforced the strategic importance of the demonstrators’ profession, citing the government’s national sanitation focus, including the ongoing National Sanitation Day initiative.
He highlighted the irony of the situation by noting that the Director for Sanitation and Environment had to leave an ongoing week-long clean-up exercise in Legon to attend the meeting with the protesters.
“A government that recognizes and appreciates national sanitation has launched National Sanitation Day. Who is going to work on that? It’s you. So all that we are doing is for you”
Hon. Ahmed Ibrahim, Minister for Local Government, Chieftaincy, and Regional Affairs
Years of Frustration
The Minister’s plea for patience was delivered to the leadership of a large group of officers whose street action had brought public attention to their years of hardship.
The protest, which began at Independence Square on Monday, December 15, was a calculated move to pressure the Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of Local Government before concluding at the Flagstaff House.
The demonstrators were clear in their message, demanding immediate employment, postings, and formal state recognition. They chanted “No posting, No going” at key administrative buildings, underscoring their refusal to accept further delay.
Speaking during the protest, one of the demonstrators, Gloria Apam, articulated the emotional and economic absurdity of their situation, having invested years and resources into their training.
“We are not giving up; we have to be posted. We are tired, please post us now. We are tired of staying at home. If you know our profession is not needed, then close the school. “I am in my thirties, how many more years do I have to work before I go on retirement. Are they saying we should have used our fees for business?”
Gloria Apam, Protester
Another protester questioned the long-term impact of the delay, noting that many graduates have been waiting since 2020.
The protestors insisted that the government’s continued delay in absorbing trained environmental health personnel into the public service not only undermines their livelihoods but constitutes a national public health hazard, contradicting the very sanitation goals the government claims to champion.
The petition submission concluded with Hon. Ibrahim thanking the demonstrators and the accompanying security detail, before requesting to meet only with the protest leadership in the conference room to formally take the petition and discuss technical pathways forward.
The Minister’s promise of 2026 budgetary relief now becomes the key benchmark for the resolution of this prolonged unemployment crisis.
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