Few statistics capture the paradox of youth unemployment in Ghana more starkly than the recent security services recruitment exercise.
The Interior Minister revealed that 506,618 young people applied for positions across the country’s security services – among them 75,000 university graduates and 330,000 Senior High School certificate holders. Over 105,000 reportedly passed the initial screening and aptitude test and therefore qualified for the medical examination stage. Yet in the end, only about 5,000 will be absorbed this year.
The overwhelming demand has already turned dangerous: crowd surges and stampedes during the process killed 6 people and left 22 others injured at Elwak Stadium in November last year. Behind these numbers lies a powerful story: hundreds of thousands of disciplined, motivated young people eager to serve, but with nowhere to go.
At first glance, this may seem like yet another symptom of youth unemployment, another opportunity to talk – as we always do – about the ticking clock of joblessness among the youth. But it also reveals something else: at worst, a time bomb waiting to explode; at best, a vast reservoir of human capital willing to undergo structured training, discipline, and national service.
Rather than treating this as a temporary recruitment problem – or worse, a platform for political exploitation and empty electoral promises – Ghana should be asking a more ambitious question: can this demand be transformed into a deliberate national strategy, perhaps even an export industry?
Across the world, demand for trained security personnel is growing. From infrastructure protection and maritime security to specialized policing and peacekeeping, governments and the private sector increasingly require well-trained professionals.
Several countries have already found ways to convert military and policing expertise into international service exports. Rwanda, Bangladesh, and Nepal, for instance, have become major contributors to United Nations peacekeeping missions. Their soldiers gain international experience while their governments benefit from reimbursements and foreign exchange inflows. Rwanda, in particular, has gained global recognition for deploying disciplined troops and police to stabilization missions across Africa and beyond.
The idea is simple but powerful: security expertise can be exported just like engineering services, healthcare professionals, or construction labor.
Ghana is particularly well positioned to explore such a model. The country has long enjoyed a reputation for professionalism and stability within the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) operations and United Nations peacekeeping missions. Ghanaian personnel are widely respected for their training, discipline, and conduct.
Yet each recruitment cycle exposes the same painful reality — a massive oversupply of applicants relative to domestic vacancies.
The economic explanation is straightforward. But equally sound is the warning it carries: without a bold strategy to address youth unemployment and our limited absorptive capacity, things will only get harder.
Instead of allowing this potential to dissipate through politics and inaction, our leaders should unite around a forward-looking solution – building specialized security training academies designed not only for domestic recruitment but for international deployment. Graduates could serve in several areas where global demand is growing, and Ghana’s reputation already opens doors.
Such a strategy would generate multiple benefits. It would create structured employment pathways for thousands of young people already eager to serve. It would generate remittance flows and foreign exchange earnings, similar to how other nations benefit from exporting skilled labor. And it would strengthen Ghana’s standing as a reliable provider of stability and professional security expertise in an increasingly uncertain world.
The numbers make the case even more clearly. The UN reimburses troop-contributing countries $1,428 per soldier per month from a peace keeping budget of roughly $5.6 billion annually. Meanwhile, the broader global private security market is currently valued at $277.85 billion and projected to reach $393.51 billion by 2034.
Ghana – already among the top contributors to UN peacekeeping – is positioned to claim a far larger share of this expanding market than it currently does if we can successfully transform this perceived problem into a strategic human resource export.
Of course, careful design is essential. Domestic security needs must always remain the priority. Transparent recruitment systems, bilateral and multilateral agreements, and robust oversight mechanisms are non-negotiable. Managing the risk of brain drain must also be front of mind.
But the starting point is clear.
When hundreds of thousands of young citizens are willing to queue, sit examinations, and brave dangerous crowd conditions for the mere chance to serve, the country must pause and ask: what does this signal about our future? Are we thinking boldly enough about the talent we already have?
The recruitment stampede may not just be a sign of unemployment. It may be a sign that Ghana is sitting on a time bomb – or, with the right policies, sitting on an untapped national resource.
The difference lies entirely in what we choose to do next.
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The author of this piece is, Dr. Francis Kwami Dzikpe, University of Wisconsin – River Falls
