Yesterday, six of our younger electorate who left house hoping to go back as doable recruits into our noble Ghana Armed Forces misplaced their lives in a sad stampede right through a recruitment workout—an incident that are meant to shake the sense of right and wrong of the country.

Videos circulating on social media display 1000’s of determined candidates jostling for an opportunity to have their paperwork assessed. But that briefly descended into chaos, claiming the lives of those compatriots of their high and injuring dozens extra.

The casualty charge—estimated at 34 injured along the fatalities—underscores the gravity of what took place.

Beyond the speedy tragedy, on the other hand, lies a deeper, systemic downside: our grim unemployment disaster and the pressing want to construction mass recruitment workouts safely.

Unemployment: A National Security Risk

This is the primary main stampede in Ghana’s contemporary historical past, and it isn’t an remoted coincidence. It is a symptom of a widening hole between activity seekers and prospects.

Over the years, safety professionals, together with the venerable Dr Emmanuel Aning of the Kofi Annan International Peace Training Centre (KAIPTC), have again and again warned that joblessness poses a countrywide safety risk.

The World Bank has mentioned that Ghana faces a critical jobs problem in spite of years of financial management.

Over 500,000 younger folks input the activity business model once a year, consistent with the Bank, but activity introduction has no longer saved tempo, leaving many stranded in low-quality or casual paintings.

The Bank has additionally warned that Ghana’s adolescence inhabitants will develop by way of 1.6 million over the following decade, attaining 11 million by way of 2035, with greater than part of the inhabitants underneath 30 years outdated.
Currently, handiest 13% of employees elderly 15–64 grasp top quality jobs. Low-skill and casual employment accounts for over 53% of the personnel.

This mismatch between emerging training ranges and restricted prospects is fueling desperation and instability, as evidenced by way of the swelling numbers at such recruitments yr in and yr out.

For many of those candidates, the army and different safety companies constitute the nearest factor to a assured, strong activity in an financial environment the place prospects are scarce.

The promise of a gentle entrepreneurship, housing, and social recognize makes enlistment into those safety products and services extremely sexy—such a lot in order that desperation drives 1000’s to possibility their protection only for an opportunity to be thought to be.

But enlistments into those products and services have no longer been performed overtly and on a big scale for a while now.

The then-opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) alleged that the workouts right through the ones sessions have been both suspended or performed quietly, fueling perceptions of restricted get admission to and favouritism.

This extended hole handiest heightened the desperation when the new alternative arose, as 1000’s noticed it as their first actual likelihood in years to protected a strong, first rate activity.

That is why the stampede is greater than a sad coincidence—this can be a warning call that unemployment isn’t just an financial statistic. It is a ticking time bomb.

If left unchecked, it’ll proceed to manifest in ways in which threaten public protection and nationwide concord.

The Need for Proper Planning

While unemployment is the basis reason, the incident additionally calls for us to think again our making plans and organisation of public occasions. The Ghana Armed Forces isn’t new to this, and their file speaks of them as a disciplined, diligent, and faithful establishment.

That is why one would be expecting them to infuse that self-discipline into how workouts of this nature are performed, surroundings an instance for different safety companies and establishments that require huge gatherings of folks.

The sight of 1000’s stuffed right into a unmarried venue, competing for front-row positions, must by no means occur in a rustic with the capability to digitise processes.

Why have been candidates no longer staggered by way of time slots?

Why was once there no powerful on-line pre-screening gadget to cut back bodily congestion?

These are questions the government will have to solution.

Recruitment into safety products and services is a delicate nationwide workout. It calls for meticulous making plans—no longer advert hoc preparations that endanger lives.

Political Points-Scoring

Sadly, at the same time as households mourn, some political actors have rushed to take advantage of the incident for partisan digital tools. This is unacceptable. The lack of younger lives must unite us in grief and unravel, no longer divide us additional.

Political utterances that trivialise the tragedy or weaponise it for electoral benefit dishonour the sufferers and distract from the pressing reforms wanted. Leaders will have to upward push above the urge to all the time search political digital tools in each and every scenario and concentrate on answers.

What Next?

Firstly, the federal government will have to deal with unemployment as a countrywide emergency. This manner competitive returns in activity introduction, abilities income, and capital—no longer lip carrier. This is why the federal government’s efforts to roll out the Big Push, the 24-Hour Economy coverage, and the reformation of the mining innovation tools round home price addition are important.

Secondly, recruitment workouts will have to be restructured to prioritise protection and potency. Digital platforms and staggered schedules can vastly cut back congestion.

Thirdly, social gatherings of this scale must be matter to strict protection protocols, with safety group of workers educated to regulate crowds successfully and emergency measures duly activated.

Finally, we will have to confront the uncomfortable reality: Ghana’s adolescence aren’t lazy—they’re determined. They are prepared to possibility their lives for a role that can pay a modest wage since the possible choices are bleak.

Until we repair this, tragedies like this will likely recur. The stampede on the army recruitment centre is a countrywide tragedy. But it can be a turning level if we make a selection to behave decisively.

President John Mahama has proven transparent and credible indicators of capability and dedication to reforming the rustic, and we will have to now rally in the back of him to reach that.

Ghana can not find the money for to forget about the caution indicators to any extent further.

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The creator, Seidu Agongo, is an progress and philanthropist.

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DISCLAIMER: The Views, Comments, Opinions, Contributions and Statements made by way of Readers and Contributors in this platform don’t essentially constitute the perspectives or coverage of Multimedia Group Limited.