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The Ranking Member on Employment, Labour Relations and Pensions, Hon. Mavis Nkansah-Boadu, has issued one of the strongest public admissions yet from a sitting Member of Parliament, conceding that successive political leaders have “failed Ghanaian youths” in their promise to create sustainable jobs.
Speaking in an exclusive interview with Puretvonline.com, the Afigya Sekyere East MP lamented the alarming rise of youth unemployment, acknowledging that both the New Patriotic Party (NPP) and National Democratic Congress (NDC) have contributed to a cycle of unfulfilled job promises.
“Let me be the first person to admit that yes, we have failed the youths because there have been some gaps in there,” she stated. “As a political class, I think we need to do better.”
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Hon. Nkansah-Boadu warned that the persistent joblessness among Ghana’s young population threatens the nation’s stability and long-term development.
“We normally say the future of every nation is the younger generation, and so if we are not preparing them to take over, then what are we doing to ourselves as a nation?” she questioned.
She noted that the situation transcends political divides and must be addressed with urgency.
“Irrespective of our political affiliations—be it NPP or NDC—it is about time the political class created that enabling environment for them,” she added.
Drawing comparisons with more advanced economies, the MP argued that the private sector, not government, should be the primary engine of job creation.
“When you go to other jurisdictions, it is not always the government providing jobs,” she explained. “It is about the private sector, and it is about incentivising the private sector. Unfortunately, we don’t see that much in Ghana.”
She expressed disappointment that political patronage continues to determine which businesses thrive under different administrations.
“One thing I have spoken against is the fact that when NPP or NDC is in power, they have a certain kind of people they want to work with. But looking at where the world is moving, this must stop.”
Hon. Nkansah-Boadu emphasised that the government’s hostility or indifference toward local businesses directly undermines employment generation.
“We have to help our businessmen whether we like it or not,” she argued. “If the government creates the enabling environment, the private sector creates more jobs, and it is the youth who will work there.”
She stressed that stifling private-sector growth only worsens the unemployment crisis.
“If you punish your private sectors, it goes against you as a government.”
When asked whether she believed successive governments had consistently failed young people despite repeated job promises, the MP did not hesitate.
“Yes, I will be the first to admit that,” she said firmly. “There have been gaps in there. For that matter, I will say yes—we have failed them.”
Recently, during a GAF recruitment screening at the El-Wak Sports Stadium in Accra, thousands of hopeful applicants, some of whom had travelled from across the country, began arriving at dawn, long before the scheduled start of the exercise.
A sudden surge at one of the entry gates caused a stampede, leaving six young women dead and several others injured. The wounded were rushed to the 37 Military Hospital and nearby facilities for emergency care.
In response, the Ghana Armed Forces announced the suspension of recruitment activities in the Greater Accra Region and constituted a Board of Inquiry to investigate the circumstances leading to the tragedy.
President John Dramani Mahama has also directed that the nationwide recruitment exercise be suspended pending the outcome of the investigations. The Board is expected to examine crowd control measures, the conduct of officers on duty, and overall safety protocols during the exercise.
Meanwhile, there was a similar stampede at the Babayara Stadium in Kumasi, where the exercise also took place. Although no death was recorded, nearly twenty people were injured.
Security analysts and governance experts have long warned about the dangers of overcrowding at single recruitment centres. They have urged the Armed Forces and other security agencies to decentralise their recruitment processes, adopt strict batch scheduling, and enhance crowd-control systems.
Families of the victims and several civil society groups have called for accountability, insisting that lessons must be learnt to prevent such tragedies in the future. Religious and community leaders have also expressed grief and called for compassion toward the affected families.
The Board of Inquiry will review the full sequence of events, assess the adequacy of safety protocols, and determine any administrative or criminal lapses that contributed to the stampede.
The outcome is expected to guide major reforms in how national recruitment exercises are planned and executed.
For now, the suspension of recruitment in Accra remains in place until the Armed Forces complete their internal review and release the Board’s findings.
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