Afenyo-Markin Accuses Govt of Exploiting Job Seekers, Slams “Failed” Women’s Bank Promise
Gladson Afriyie
Journalist
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Minority Leader Alexander Afenyo-Markin has accused the NDC government of “deceiving” unemployed youth through mass recruitment exercises into the security services, despite knowing budget constraints limit intake to only 5,000 recruits.
Speaking at a press conference, Hon. Afenyo-Markin said the government sold application forms to “hundreds of thousands” of young people, even though only about 200,000 qualified for medicals. He alleged that applicants were charged medical fees despite facing “difficult” AI aptitude tests, with little chance of being hired.
“They know that per their own budget they can only contain five thousand recruits, yet they sold forms to hundreds of thousands of people,” he said. “The monies that they will be charging these innocent unemployed Ghanaian youth, they will not get jobs. Yet a party of propaganda still went ahead.”
The Minority Leader added that after criticism in Parliament, government announced plans to increase the intake to 10,000. “Even if you maintain the ten thousand, it is not even up to ten percent,” he noted.
Afenyo-Markin also questioned the status of the NDC’s pledge to establish a Women’s Bank to provide loans to Ghanaian women.
“They themselves promised Ghanaian women a Women’s Bank. They said they were going to establish a bank solely for women. They are going to give loans. What has become of that loan? We’ve not even seen the bank,” he said. “And people are desperate.”
He further alleged that the government had dismissed “lawfully employed” workers since taking office, leaving more youth jobless.
“They came and rather dismissed people who were lawfully employed and more youths are sitting at home because NDC came into office and sacked them,” he stated.
Afenyo-Markin said the Minority moved a motion on the matter in Parliament but it was “frustrated” by the Majority.
“We moved the motion on the floor and they frustrated the motion because they want to hide this. That is NDC for you,” he concluded.
The remarks add to the Minority’s ongoing criticism of the government’s economic and employment record.
