Policy analyst and founding president of IMANI Africa, Franklin Cudjoe, has criticised successive governments in Ghana for failing to create a business environment that supports private sector growth, warning that the country’s worsening unemployment crisis is a direct result of years of unfulfilled policy promises.
Speaking on Joy SMS, Mr. Cudjoe said policymakers often speak about job creation but fail to implement the structural reforms required to help businesses expand and employ more people. His comments follow reports that more than 405,000 applicants competed for just 5,000 positions in Ghana’s security services. The figures, disclosed by the Interior Minister Muntaka Mohammed-Mubarak showed that about 75,000 university graduates and 330,000 holders of the West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) applied for the limited slots.
According to Mr. Cudjoe, the overwhelming number of applicants reflects the country’s inability to build an economy where the private sector can absorb the growing number of young people entering the labour market. He urged policymakers to channel resources into productive sectors and create a stable environment that allows businesses to grow and employ more workers.
He also pointed to electricity pricing as one of the major structural challenges affecting businesses. Mr. Cudjoe argued that Ghana’s progressive electricity tariff system where costs increase with higher consumption discourages productivity and places additional pressure on companies trying to expand. In his view, if households already struggle with rising electricity costs, businesses face even greater difficulties remaining competitive.
Beyond utility costs, the IMANI Africa founder criticised what he described as the politicisation of private enterprise. He said many business owners have complained about contracts being cancelled or disrupted whenever a new government assumes power, creating uncertainty that discourages long-term investment and planning.
Meanwhile, Interior Minister Muntaka Mohammed-Mubarak acknowledged the limited number of available jobs in the security services, noting that the government intends to retain the data of qualified applicants who could not be recruited. He indicated that a second phase of recruitment could be considered later in 2026 depending on Ghana’s programme with the International Monetary Fund (IMF).
However, Mr. Cudjoe maintained that periodic government recruitment cannot solve the unemployment problem. He stressed that sustainable job creation will depend on stable policies and an economic environment that empowers the private sector to expand, invest and generate employment opportunities.